The State-owned plantation company, PT Perkebunan Nusantara XI (Persero) (PTPN XI) has had to face the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for the second time in two years. In 2022, the former director of the company was convicted for corruption. Now, the KPK is...

Last year was probably the worst for the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). In addition to all the internal issues that the commission face throughout the years, the Chief, Firli Bahuri, was embroiled in a criminal case. Firli was accused of blackmailing then Minister of Agriculture, Syahrul Yasin Limpo (NasDem), after the KPK begin investigation into the case of alleged corruption in the Ministry. We know what happen next, the public’s attention was shifted to Firli as he was named suspect on alleged blackmailing, nearly forgetting that Syahrul was also named suspect in the case of corruption on October 2023. From the start, we believed that there would be no one who could be blackmailed if they were innocent. And indeed, after Syahrul underwent trial, the public finally learned about all the tricks and criminal schemes he carried out. The latest issue that attracted the most attention was how Syahrul used his connections at the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) to obtain Unqualified (Wajar Tanpa Pengecualian–WTP) opinion/status for the Ministry’s financial reports. The WTP status is allegedly given in exchange of billions of rupiah every year. By now this practice, unfortunately, is already common.

Abdul Gani Kasuba, governor of North Maluku, was arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in a series of sting operations carried out in several different locations towards the end of 2023. The KPK succeeded in arresting dozens of people but named seven people as suspects in the case of alleged corruption. Among the alleged bribers was Stevi Thomas, director of PT Trimegah Bangun Persada Tbk (NCKL). Last week, KPK announced that they began an investigation of alleged money laundering and at the same time expedited the dockets to the stage of prosecution. The prosecutors suspect Kasuba received over Rp90 billion of grafts during his tenure.

The disgraced Supreme Court Justice, Justice Gazalba Saleh, who was supposedly involved in the allegation of case brokers that rocked the Supreme Court was acquitted by the Panel of Judges of the notorious Corruption Court at the Bandung District Court. There was nothing surprising because this is not the first time this court has acquitted a graft defendant. KPK tried to appeal, but the Supreme Court, unsurprisingly, decided in favor of the previous court decision. Gazalba Saleh is free once again, but not for long. KPK redetain Saleh several months later in another case of allegedly receiving grafts and committing money laundering. This week, Saleh faces trial, again.

Towards the end of 2023, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) officially announced the latest case of alleged corruption at the Directorate General of Customs and Excise (DJBC) and has named the former Head of the Customs and Excise Office in Yogyakarta, Eko Darmanto, as suspect. The disclosure of this case was part of the crackdown which also ultimately ensnared Andhi Pramono, the one who led the institution’s office in Makassar, South Sulawesi. Similar to Andhi’s case, Eko is trapped in his own habit of showing off his wealth. Eko will face trial soon.

It has been a while since the investigation into the case of alleged corruption in State-owned construction company, PT Amarta Karya (Persero), started. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) named two suspects in the case back in May 2023 and the court proceedings continued far from media coverage. All this happened while Amarta Karya’s vendors and business partners have been trying to force the company to restructure its debts through the PKPU process. The company managed to avoid bankruptcy in the last week of September 2023. Several months later the defendants had been declared guilty. This week, the KPK announced that they had named two new suspects.

Back in 2019, the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) examined allegations on cartel-like practices related to soaring ticket rates and cargo transportation in the national aviation industry. The KPPU read its decision in 2020 amid the pandemic and declared the reported parties guilty, albeit not of cartel-like practices. Last month, the KPPU summoned the parties to ensure their compliance with the implementation of the decision, especially because similar situations, namely high domestic flight ticket prices, still occur.

The investigation into the case of alleged corruption related to the tin trading system carried out in the Mining Business License (IUP) area owned by PT Timah Tbk (TINS) is getting even more interesting. Over a month ago we reported the suspicion that one of the potential suspects was related to Sriwijaya Air and towards the end of last week, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) proved that the suspicion is correct. The AGO announced five new suspects in the case, one of whom is Hendry Lie, the founder of Sriwijaya Air. By now, there are already 21 suspects in two different cases.