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View all search resultsEast Kolaka regent arrested for graft when attending NasDem meeting
The arrest of East Kolaka regent Abdul Azis when he attended a NasDem Party meeting triggered strong reaction from party chair Surya Paloh, who urged law enforcement bodies to follow proper procedures in investigations.
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East Kolaka regent Abdul Azis (center) walks to a prisoner transfer van on Aug. 9 after undergoing a questioning session at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) headquarters in Jakarta. The anti-graft body named Abdul and four other individuals as suspects in a corruption case pertaining to the construction of a general regional hospital in East Kolaka. (Antara/Indrianto Eko Suwarso)
T
he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested Abdul Azis, the regent of East Kolaka in Southeast Sulawesi, when the politician was attending a national meeting of the NasDem Party after being named a suspect in a corruption case pertaining to the construction of a hospital in the regency.
Graft busters previously arrested four suspects for the case in two separate operations in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi and Jakarta on Thursday morning. They also tried to arrest Abdul in Kendari, but he had gone to Makassar in neighboring South Sulawesi to attend the NasDem national meeting in the city.
KPK investigators apprehended Abdul in Makassar on Thursday evening, and took him to Jakarta the next day for further questioning.
The antigraft body named Abdul, who was elected as East Kolaka regent in the 2024 election, a suspect during a press briefing on Friday midnight.
Other suspects in the case were Health Ministry official Andi Lukman Hakim, East Kolaka administration official Ageng Dermanto and construction firm PT PCP representatives Deddy Karnadi and Arif Rahman. Graft busters arrested Ageng in Kendari, while the remaining suspects were caught in Jakarta.
Acting KPK law enforcement deputy Asep Guntur Rahayu said the suspects allegedly rigged the tender for the construction of a general regional hospital (RSUD) in the regency, which is part of President Prabowo Subianto’s program to build high-quality hospitals in various regencies.
Abdul and other officials allegedly discussed rigging the tender during a meeting in Jakarta to allow PT PCP win the construction project. The company was declared winner for the project in April, in exchange for kickback amounting to 8 percent of the project’s value.
