KPK deputy chair Basaria Panjaitan said during a press briefing on Tuesday that the suspended governor allegedly knew about the bribes. She said it was the suspect himself that had ordered acting Jambi Public Works and Housing Agency head Arfan and Jambi administrative assistant Saipudin to collect the money for the bribes.

“He is also suspected of collecting money from other agency heads and requesting money from other parties totaling Rp 3.4 billion [US$236.646], which ARN later passed through an aide to a number of councilors,” she said, referring to Arfan by his initials.

This is the second charge the KPK has laid against Zumi since February, when he was named as a suspect for allegedly accepting unlawful gifts in connection with the province's development projects. He was detained two months later, in April.

Basaria said KPK investigators had discovered that Zumi had accepted gratuities totaling Rp 49 million from 2016 to 2017, more than eight times the previously suspected amount of Rp 6 million.

The KPK's graft investigation in Jambi started in November 2017. Arfan, Saifudin, acting provincial secretary Erwan Malik and councilor Supriyono were arrested and named suspects in a bribery case concerning the Jambi council's approval of the 2018 provincial budget. The Jambi Corruption Court found the four suspects guilty of bribery. (ebf)

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