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Manhunt resumes after KPK arrest
Samin's arrest was the first arrest scored by a special team set up by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) tasked with hunting most-wanted suspects to make the investigation process more efficient.
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he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) reaffirmed its commitment to hunting graft fugitives following its recent arrest of businessman Samin Tan, who has been on the run for roughly one year.
KPK investigators arrested Samin on Tuesday in Central Jakarta based on a tip-off from members of the general public, marking the end of a 12-month chase since the antigraft body placed him on its most-wanted list last year.
The KPK named Samin a suspect in February 2019 over his alleged involvement in bribery relating to a mining license of a coal mine in Tuhup, Central Kalimantan. The mine was controlled by coal mining firm PT Asmin Koalindo Tuhup (AKT), a subsidiary of Samin’s company PT Borneo Lumbung Energy & Metal.
Samin allegedly paid then-Golkar Party lawmaker Eni Maulani Saragih Rp 5 billion (US$342,936) in June 2018 in exchange for her efforts to lobby the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry for the licenses. AKT previously held a mining license in the region, but the ministry revoked it in 2017.
Eni, who at the time was a member of House of Representatives Commission VII that oversees natural mineral resources affairs, allegedly agreed to lobby the ministry to allow AKT to regain control of the Tuhup mine.
The antigraft body put Samin’s name on its most-wanted list in May 2020 after the suspect twice failed to obey investigators’ summonses for questioning.
Read also: KPK urged to follow up on Djoko Tjandra case after court verdict
Samin’s case was a development of a graft case pertaining to the Riau-1 coal-fired power plant project. Eni, businessman Johannes Budisutrisno Kotjo and former Social Affairs Minister Idrus Marham were named suspects and eventually declared guilty in the case.
KPK enforcement deputy Karyoto said Samin’s arrest was thanks to the commission’s team specifically tasked with hunting most-wanted suspects.
KPK acting spokesman Ali Fikri echoed Karyoto, saying the team was established earlier this year to make the investigation process more efficient.
“The arrest of fugitives used to be handled by the team of investigators handling the case. The team often cannot fully focus on catching these fugitives because they also have to investigate other cases,” Ali told The Jakarta Post on Friday.
Graft watchdogs welcomed the arrest, saying it showed the KPK’s commitment to resolving long-running cases. However, they urged the antigraft body to redouble its efforts to arrest other high-profile fugitives.
“The arrest of Samin should serve as motivation [for the investigators] that they can catch fugitives when they want to,” said Zaenur Rochman of Gadjah Mada University’s Center for Anti-Corruption Studies (Pukat UGM).
He added it was important for the KPK to build on its recent success in order to catch Harun Masiku, an Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politician who was placed on the most-wanted list in January last year.
Harun and fellow PDI-P politician Saeful Bahri were accused of offering Rp 1.5 billion in bribes to then-General Elections Commission (KPU) commissioner Wahyu Setiawan to secure a seat in the House that had been left vacant by a deceased member of the party.
KPK investigators failed to capture Harun during an operation in January 2020. It was later discovered that Harun had departed for Singapore and returned to Indonesia several days before the antigraft body named him a suspect in the case.
Harun’s travel history and subsequent disappearance turned the spotlight to Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly, who is also a PDI-P member. He established an internal fact-finding team, which concluded an error in the immigration system allowed Harun to slip through the border.
To date, Harun’s whereabouts remain unknown.
Read also: 2021 a make-or-break year for KPK in restoring trust
Indonesian Anti-Corruption Community (MAKI) coordinator Boyamin Saiman said Samin’s arrest, which resulted from a tip-off from the general public, showed that the commission should be more thorough in following up information from the people.
“It turned out that [the public] voluntarily gave information to the KPK. They should be more serious in following up those tip offs,” Boyamin said.
The KPK’s Ali said the agency was committed to hunting for long-running fugitives, adding that the commission also pinned its hopes on the public’s cooperation for information that could lead to the arrest of fugitives.
Aside from Harun, Ali said the KPK also focused its efforts on catching other fugitives, including Izil Azhar, who was named a suspect in a gratuity case implicating former Aceh governor Irwandi Yusuf. The former governor was found guilty of accepting bribes and unlawful gifts in 2019.
