The arrest of Maritime and Fisheries Affairs Minister Edhy Prabowo and members of his inner circle in the early hours of Wednesday by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has sent shock waves through the capital’s political circles and could test the limits of the relationship between President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and his former rival in the 2019 presidential election Prabowo Subianto, who currently serves as Defense Minister.

KPK investigators moved to arrest Edhy, considered by many to be one of Prabowo's most trusted aides, soon after he landed at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, Banten, from his official visit to the United States. Also arrested was Edhy's wife Iis Rosita Dewi.

“We can confirm that at around 1.23 a.m. we detained several officials at the Maritime and Fisheries Affairs Ministry. The officials and some of the minister’s family members [have also been detained],” said Nurul Ghufron in an interview, adding that all the suspects were currently in the antigraft body's custody.

Edhy had been on a working visit to the US starting on Nov. 17 and his itinerary included a trip to the Oceanic Institute of the Pacific University Hawaii where he was reported to have signed an agreement on biotechnology.

Ghufron said Edhy and the other suspects were targeted in an investigation focusing on the exports of lobster larvae, without elaborating.

Soon after taking over as maritime and fisheries affairs minister from his predecessor Susi Pudjiastuti, Edhy decided to allow local companies to export lobster larvae abroad. Susi had previously prohibited the exports.

Edhy is the first high-ranking government official to be arrested by the antigraft body under the leadership of chairman Firli Bahuri. It is believed that senior KPK investigator Novel Baswedan led the investigation that led to Wednesday arrests.

Responding to the arrest, President Jokowi said he backed the KPK's move to arrest graft suspects and he believed that the antigraft body had been professional in its conduct.

"I believe that KPK has been working in an open, transparent and professional manner," Jokowi said in a video published on the Presidential Office's YouTube channel on Wednesday.

Political analysts have said Edhy’s arrest could potentially drive a wedge between Jokowi and Prabowo.

Following a bitterly contested presidential election last year, Jokowi brought the Gerindra Party into his administration, after years in the opposition wilderness. Edhy was one of only two Gerindra politicians to hold a Cabinet post, the other being Defense Minister Prabowo.

“Politically, this could serve as a warning for Prabowo,” said Indonesia Political Review executive director Ujang Komarudin.

Ujang however said that although the arrest might not cause irreparable damage to the governing coalition, it could sour the relationship between Jokowi and Prabowo.

Meanwhile, former Gerindra deputy chairman Arief Poyuono said that Edhy's arrest could hurt the party's electability and that of Prabowo if he decided to run for office in the future.

"This is a big lesson and a slap in the face for Prabowo as Edhy's boss, given that he [Prabowo] has preached against graft and stated that the corruption [cancer] has reached stage four. But it turns out that his disciple has become the first minister to be arrested for graft in Jokowi's second term," Arief said as quoted by antaranews.com on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Maritime and Fisheries Affairs Ministry secretary-general Antam Novambar said the ministry respected the ongoing legal process at the KPK, adding that the ministry urged the public not to speculate on what the antigraft body would do next with regard to Edhy's status.

“Let us wait for the official information [from the KPK] and let the law enforcement officials carry out their duties professionally,” said Antam in a statement.

Edhy’s move to roll back Susi's policy against exporting lobster larvae in December last year had prompted outcry from supporters of Susi, as well as environmental watchdogs over concerns about the sustainability of the species.

Despite opposition to his plan, Edhy signed on May 4 Ministry Regulation No. 12/2020 to reopen the door to lobster larvae exports.

In addition, Edhy also reversed Susi’s policy of banning the use of cantrang (seine nets) due to environmental concerns. The policy was initially met with protests from fishermen and a deal was struck with the government in 2018 to allow the use of the nets.

Researcher at Gadjah Mada University’s Center for Anticorruption Studies (Pukat UGM) Zaenur Rochman praised the KPK’s bold move to detain such a high-ranking government official such as Edhy.

“In the midst of efforts to limit its authority, the KPK can still conduct its enforcement operations,” said Zaenur, referring to the amendment of the KPK Law last year that restricted the agency’s operations by requiring it to ask permission from its supervisory council before committing to an investigation.

The amendment was widely seen as an attempt to undermine KPK, which is among the few government agencies that maintained a high level of public confidence.

Antigraft watchdog Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Tama Satrya Langkun also applauded the KPK’s move, which could also be seen as a swipe against Jokowi.

“This should be seen as a criticism of the President as one of his ministers is being questioned by the KPK,” Tama told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.