The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named 15 employees at its detention centres as suspects for allegedly extorting detainees between 2019 and 2023, finalising its fall from grace after a spate of scandals over the past year, including the removal of its head Firli Bahuri in November over extortion charges.
At a press briefing on Friday, KPK deputy chair Nurul Ghufron said the commission had launched a parallel investigation into dozens of detention centre employees over alleged corruption.
The probe was opened after the KPK Supervisory Council found 78 detention centre workers guilty of disciplinary code violations for collecting illicit fees from detainees in exchange for illegal services, such as smuggling cash or communication devices into their cells.
The council ordered the 78 prison employees to deliver a public apology en masse in front of the commission’s leadership last month and recommended that the KPK secretariat-general launch a follow-up investigation.
The antigraft body’s law enforcement unit has also opened a separate criminal investigation, aiming to prosecute the employees on corruption charges.
Among the suspects are Achmad Fauzi, the KPK detention centre head; Hengki, a Law and Human Rights Ministry employee seconded to the KPK; Deden Rochendi, a National Police personnel seconded as the acting KPK detention centre head; and Muhammad Ridwan, a KPK employee.
The 15 suspects are in custody at the Jakarta Police jail, where KPK investigators have detained them for a minimum of 20 days.
They have also been temporarily removed from their posts while the investigation continues.
The KPK secretariat-general has formed a separate team to look into possible violations of the commission’s disciplinary code committed by the disgraced employees.
“Hengki and the other employees provided exclusive facilities for detainees, including services to use mobile phones and power banks,” KPK investigation director Asep Guntur Rahayu said.
The KPK is still investigating the flow of illicit money, estimating that the staff members had pocketed up to 6.3 billion rupiah (around RM1.9bil) between 2019 and 2023. — The Jakarta Post / ANN
