18-3-2024 (JAKARTA) The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has taken another blow to its reputation as it names 15 employees at its detention centres as suspects in a corruption case. This latest development marks a significant fall from grace for the commission, which has been embroiled in a series of scandals over the past year, including the removal of its former head, Firli Bahuri, in November on extortion charges.
During a press briefing on Friday, KPK deputy chair Nurul Ghufron revealed that the commission had initiated a parallel investigation into numerous detention centre employees suspected of involvement in corruption. The probe was launched following findings by the KPK Supervisory Council, which concluded that 78 detention centre workers had violated the disciplinary code by accepting illicit fees from detainees in exchange for illegal services, such as smuggling cash or communication devices into their cells.
In response to this misconduct, the council mandated that the 78 prison employees publicly apologize en masse in front of the commission’s leadership last month. Furthermore, the council recommended that the KPK secretariat-general initiate a follow-up investigation into the incident. The KPK’s law enforcement unit has also launched a separate criminal investigation with the aim of prosecuting the employees involved on corruption charges.
Nurul Ghufron stated, “The law enforcement deputy has identified 15 individuals as suspects for allegedly pressuring detainees to provide kickbacks.” The allegations suggest that these employees extorted detainees between 2019 and 2023.
