Jakarta. Youth Affairs and Sports Minister Dito Ariotedjo denied having accepted Rp 27 billion ($1.7 million) in bribes as he was presented as a witness in a graft trial on Wednesday related to fraudulent internet infrastructure projects in the Communication and Informatics Ministry.

A co-defendant in the case, businessman Irwan Hermawan, previously told the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court that he had handed the money to Dito, before the latter was appointed minister, through a messenger.

Presiding Judge Fahzal Hendri confronted Dito with the accusation, to which the witness replied under oath: “That’s not true.”

The minister said he didn’t know Irwan in person, but admitted to knowing another co-defendant, Galumbang Menak, CEO of tech company Mora Telematika Indonesia who allegedly delivered the banknotes to Dito.

Dito said he once met Galumbang who visited his parents’ home in Kuningan, South Jakarta.

“His company had just conducted an IPO and the company of my family also planned for an IPO,” Dito said when asked further about his meeting with Galumbang. 

In Wednesday’s hearing, Dito testified against the main defendant, former Communication and Informatics Minister Johnny Plate.

Dito, 33, said he knows Johnny because they both worked for the government cabinet. 

But Johnny said he never met Dito in person and there wasn’t any cabinet meeting involving him and Dito together until he was ousted due to the graft scandal.

“Since the witness was appointed minister, there had been no cabinet meeting which required our attendance together. Basically, we both never met until today,” Johnny told the panel. 

Dito, whose real name is Ario Bimo Nandito, assumed office as a minister on April 3, becoming the youngest member of President Joko Widodo's cabinet. Before joining the cabinet, Dito was known as a businessman who founded several startups and a politician affiliated with the Golkar Party.

The alleged bribery scandal predates his ministerial appointment.

The corruption trial revolves around a government project aimed at building 4G internet infrastructure covering approximately 7,900 remote villages, initiated by the Communication and Informatics Ministry's Information and Telecommunication Accessibility Agency (BAKTI). 

The connection between Dito’s business activities and the internet infrastructure procurement at BAKTI remains unclear.

The graft trial involves eight defendants, including former top government officials and businessmen who allegedly paid bribes to secure contracts for supplying base-transceiver stations.

During the pre-trial investigation on July 13, an attorney for Irwan returned banknotes worth Rp 27 billion to the AGO and informed the press that the money had been returned by an individual whose identity the lawyer declined to disclose.

But Irwan confirmed in a hearing two weeks ago that Dito was the recipient.

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