Fadia Arafiq Sulap ART Becomes CEO, KPK: Only One Task, Take Money

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has uncovered the modus operandi of the Regent of Pekalongan Fadia Arafiq in controlling the procurement of goods and services in the environment of the Pekalongan Regency, Central Java through the family company PT Raja Nusantara Berjaya (RNB). The company's director is Rul Bayatun, a woman who is also Fadia's domestic helper (ART).

Rul Bayatun is suspected of being deliberately made the director of PT RNB so that it is easy to be controlled by Fadia and his family. The role of the director is suspected of only being to attract and store money that enters the company.

Deputy for Enforcement and Execution of the KPK, Asep Guntur Rahayu, said that Rul Bayatun did not have a strategic role in the company's operations, even though his position was director. He only carried out orders to withdraw money from the company's account.

"If the last information we received, he was referred to as an ART from FAR," said Asep at the KPK Building, Friday last week.

According to Asep, control over the company's account remains in the hands of Fadia Arafiq. Rul Bayatun was only asked to withdraw cash according to orders.

After the money was withdrawn, Rul Bayatun handed it over to Fadia Arafiq or through trusted people such as aides.

Asep added, in some cases the money was not given directly to Fadia Arafiq. The money was handed over to other parties who were trusted so that the distribution flow was longer.

The KPK admitted that it was lucky to be able to trace the establishment documents of PT Raja Nusantara Berjaya. From the documents it is known that the company was founded by Fadia Arafiq's husband and son.

Investigators also traced the company's account transactions by working with the banking party. From the data it is known when and where the money was withdrawn.

"From the PT RNB account we saw cash withdrawals, then we confirmed it to the witness. So far Rul has said the money was given to FAR," said Asep.

The KPK has named Fadia Arafiq as a suspect in a case of alleged corruption in the form of conflict of interest and gratification in the procurement of goods and services in the Pekalongan Regency Government period 2023-2026.

Fadia Arafiq is currently detained for 20 days at the KPK Red and White Building Branch Detention Center from March 4 to 23, 2026. He is suspected of violating Article 12 letter i about conflicts of interest and Article 12 B about gratification in the Corruption Eradication Law.

In this case, Fadia Arafiq allegedly directed outsourcing service projects in 17 regional devices, three regional hospitals, and one sub-district to be carried out by PT Raja Nusantara Berjaya.

The company was established in 2022, about 1 year after Fadia Arafiq was inaugurated as the regent of Pekalongan for the 2021-2025 period.

PT RNB was founded by Fadia's husband, Mukhtaruddin Ashraff Abu who is now a member of the DPR and his son Muhammad Sabiq Ashraff who serves as a member of the Pekalongan DPRD.

In the company's structure, Mukhtaruddin serves as a commissioner, while Muhammad Sabiq was a director in the 2022-2024 period. In addition to the family, the company's managers are also filled by a number of Fadia Arafiq's successful teams in the election.

The KPK noted that during 2023-2026, there was an inflow of funds into PT RNB of around IDR 46 billion from contracts with a number of regional devices in the Pekalongan Regency Government.

Of this amount, around Rp. 22 billion was used to pay the salaries of outsourced employees. Meanwhile, around Rp. 19 billion is suspected to have been divided into Fadia Arafiq's family.

The KPK revealed that the distribution of the money included Rp. 5.5 billion for Fadia Arafiq, Rp. 1.1 billion for Mukhtaruddin Ashraff Abu, Rp. 4.6 billion for Muhammad Sabiq Ashraff, Rp. 2.5 billion for Mehnaz Na, and Rp. 2.3 billion for Rul Bayatun.

The remaining funds of around Rp. 3 billion were withdrawn in cash.

The money management arrangement was allegedly carried out through a WhatsApp group called "Belanja RSUD".

The KPK suspects that PT Raja Nusantara Berjaya was used as a place to store money from projects in the Pekalongan Regency Government environment.