Indonesian police names anti-corruption chief as suspect in extortion case

In an extortion case involving an ex-minister detained last month on graft charges, Indonesian police have named the head of the anti-corruption agency as a suspect. Head of the Corruption Eradication Commission Firli Bahuri is the most recent member of President Joko Widodo’s administration to be accused of corruption. According to a post on the police website, Firli, a former inspector general of police, is suspected of extorting money from Syahrul Yasin Limpo, the former minister of agriculture who was arrested in connection with a corruption case last month. A state official extorted money at the agriculture ministry from 2020 to 2023, according to Ade Safri Simanjuntak, a Jakarta police official, who stated late on Wednesday that there was “sufficient evidence to name the KPK chief as a suspect in a corruption case in the form of extortion.” Ade stated that during raids at two locations, authorities seized US dollars valued at 7.4 billion rupiah (US$477,730) as well as foreign currency transaction documents from Singapore. Additional information regarding the investigation was withheld by the police. Firli did not answer a request for comment right away. He declared to reporters on Monday that he had never engaged in bribery or extortion. State officials who are found guilty of corruption face a maximum sentence of life in prison. In response to a question on Thursday regarding Firli’s designation as a suspect, Widodo stated he would “respect the process of law.” Per the law, the president is required to temporarily suspend any KPK chief named as a criminal suspect. 2019 saw the appointment of Firli as KPK chief, coinciding with criticism that the agency had been undermined by amendments to the law overseeing it, leading to a wave of “save the KPK” demonstrations. Firli is the first KPK chief to be named as a suspect in a graft case, according to Novel Baswedan, a former KPK investigator. Since its founding in 2002, the commission has brought charges against hundreds of public servants, politicians, and businessmen, earning it a reputation as one of the nation’s most reputable organizations.