“We suspected that the regent had been accepting illicit money from several officials for a long time through his confidants regarding the matter,” KPK deputy chairwoman Basaria Panjaitan said during a press conference on Thursday.

In addition to the regent, two other people have also been named suspects for allegedly accepting bribes. They are Nganjuk Education Agency head Ibnu Hajar and Suwandi, a junior high school headmaster.

The KPK also named two other people suspects in the case for allegedly giving the bribes. They are the Nganjuk administration’s Environment Agency head Harjanto and Mokhammad Bisri, an official at Nganjuk Regional General Hospital.

KPK investigators arrested Taufiqurrahman in Jakarta on Wednesday after he had attended a meeting between President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and regional heads at the State Palace the previous day.

Basaria said the investigators had seized Rp 298 million (US$21,935) during the arrest.

This is the second time the KPK has named the regent a graft suspect. He was named a suspect last December for allegedly being involved in graft pertaining to construction projects in the regency in 2009.

Taufiqurrahman won a pretrial motion at the South Jakarta District Court in March, prompting the KPK to hand over the case to the Attorney General’s Office. (ebf)

Popular

Indonesia not affected by Southeast Asia-wide heat wave: BMKG

Residents fear for safety as Mount Ruang volcano erupts

In defense of Indonesian democracy