KPK suspects Kuansing Regent to collect 46,500 Singapore dollars from farmers for Menhut Raja July
JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) suspects that the non-active Regent of Kuantan Singingi (Kuansing) Suhardiman Amby collected 46,500 Singapore dollars through intermediaries. The money was collected from the residual business results (SHU) of farmers who are members of the Village Unit Cooperative (KUD).
"That the money collected in this rupiah was then converted into the form of Singapore dollars, which totaled around 46,500 Singapore dollars," said KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo to reporters at the KPK Red and White building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, quoted Friday, July 24.
"There are a total of 914 KUD members whose money was collected by Suhardiman through intermediaries," continued Budi. The collection of money is said to be related to the release of the HPT area of 1,828 hectares.
This money was then allegedly put into an envelope and handed over to the Minister of Forestry (Menhut) Raja Juli Antoni. However, Budi has not revealed how much the Secretary General of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) is suspected of receiving.
Because, Raja Juli also did not inform how much the contents of the envelope were when reporting the rejection of gratification to the KPK. The report was submitted on July 3.
"Mr. Menhut in reporting the rejection of gratification to the KPK did not mention the amount of money in the envelope," said Budi.
"Although upon the report, the KPK has verified, analyzed, and coordinated internally and provided an answer to the Minister of Finance as the reporting party that the report could not be followed up. One of the reasons is to refer to Article 14 of Perkom 1/2026 regarding the gratification report," he continued.
Meanwhile, the acting director of the KPK Investigation Directorate, Achmad Taufik Husein, said that the investigation into the alleged bribery in Kuansing Regency was still ongoing. The search for evidence of the actions of Suhardiman Amby et al who were caught in the hand-catching operation (OTT) and the provision of envelopes to the Minister of Forestry (Menhut) Raja Juli Antoni continues.
"Whether there is a request or what it is, yes, it is being investigated," Taufik told reporters quoted on Monday, July 13.
As previously reported, the KPK named three people as suspects in the alleged bribery of the filling of the Kuansing Regent's post after conducting a hand-in-hand operation (OTT) on Monday, June 29. They are Kuansing Regent Suhardiman Amby, Kuansing Regent Zulkarnain, and Ardiles as President Director of PT Mitra Ideal Consultant.
In the construction of the case, Suhardiman allegedly asked for one unit of Toyota Land Cruiser 300 GR-S worth around Rp2.05 billion to the participants of the selection for the position of the Regional Secretary.
The request was fulfilled by Zulkarnain who bought the vehicle through a credit scheme using Ardiles' identity for financing applications.
The KPK also found other alleged receipts made by Suhardiman related to the process of releasing Limited Production Forest (HPT) areas. Investigators are said to be tracing the amount of receipts, the mechanism of giving to the party suspected of receiving at the Ministry of Forestry.
Meanwhile, Raja Juli, in a press conference after the silent operation was held, admitted that the Regent of Kuansing Suhardiman Amby had left a sealed envelope after an audience at the Ministry of Forestry on June 2, 2026.
He then ordered his aide to return the envelope on June 5, 2026. However, the plan was delayed because his aide had to accompany him in the agenda of the service.
Furthermore, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Forestry then issued a letter of assignment to his aide on June 11, 2026. In addition, Raja Juli admitted that he contacted the Riau Police Chief to help bring his aide and the Regent of Kuansing together.
The return of the envelope, he claimed, was made on June 12, 2026 at the Kuantan Singingi Police and was documented and accompanied by a receipt.