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Analysis: KPK suffers another pretrial defeat, trust deficit
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A Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator shows money seized in a series of arrests in South Kalimantan during a press briefing at the KPK headquarters in Jakarta on Oct. 8, 2024. The antigraft body arrested eight suspects in the operation, including provincial Public Works and Housing Agency official Yulianti Erlynah, and has named South Kalimantan Governor Sahbirin Noor a suspect in the case. (Antara/Indrianto Eko Suwarso)
T
he South Jakarta District Court has dealt the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) a major blow after granting a pretrial motion filed by South Kalimantan Governor Sahbirin Noor, who claimed the KPK’s move to name him a suspect was illegitimate.
Speculation about political intervention has been rife, given the fact that Sahbirin is an uncle of influential businessman Andi Syamsuddin Arsyad, better known as Haji Isam, who has prominent ties with President Prabowo Subianto, former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and other political bigwigs in the country.
Haji Isam is also a cousin of Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman. Two other ministers in Prabowo’s cabinet, Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi and Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo, are affiliated with Haji Isam as they once worked for the businessman.
Many regard Sahbirin’s victory in the court battle against the KPK as unsurprising, but this will further dent the antigraft body’s credibility in eradicating corruption.
The South Jakarta District Court judge overturned the KPK’s decision to name Sahbirin a suspect in a corruption case involving provincial infrastructure projects, on the grounds that the probe launched against the governor lacked a legal basis.
The court argued that the KPK investigators failed to summon Sahbirin for questioning after naming him a suspect, saying this demonstrated the agency’s lack of seriousness in its investigation. The judge also noticed that the KPK did not try to locate Sahbirin or put him on its wanted list despite his disappearance for over a month, further undermining the investigation.
The KPK declared Sahbirin a suspect on Oct. 8, two days after it arrested eight individuals during a sting operation in South Kalimantan. The governor was accused of receiving kickbacks amounting to 5 percent from three infrastructure projects worth over Rp 50 billion (US$3.1 million). Investigators alleged that officials from the South Kalimantan Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency manipulated the tender process to favor local businessmen Sugeng Wahyudi and Andi Susanto, enabling them to secure the projects in exchange for a cut of the projects’ value.
