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View all search resultsKPK arrests Sukoharjo regent in Central Java over alleged extortion
Etik is the fourth regional head in Central Java and the 10th nationwide to be arrested by the KPK on corruption allegations this year.
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Sukoharjo Regent Etik Suryani (left) is escorted by police officers on Friday upon her arrival for questioning at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Headquarters in Jakarta. Etik was apprehended along with seventeen others in a graft raid over alleged extortion targeting officials in the Sukoharjo administration. (Antara Foto/Indrianto Eko Suwarso)
T
he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has arrested Sukoharjo Regent Etik Suryani in Central Java over an alleged extortion scheme, making her the third regional head detained by the antigraft agency on corruption allegations since the start of the month.
KPK investigators arrested Etik along with 17 other people during a series of raids in Sukoharjo and the neighboring cities of Surakarta and Wonogiri on Thursday night. The detainees were taken to the Surakarta Police headquarters, where they underwent overnight questioning that lasted until around 5:30 a.m. on Friday.
KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said investigators had transferred nine of the 18 detainees to the agency's headquarters in South Jakarta for further questioning after conducting their initial examinations.
"The nine consist of Regent Etik, six civil servants from the Sukoharjo administration and two individuals from the private sector," Budi said on Friday, as quoted by state news agency Antara.
Under Indonesian law, the KPK has up to 24 hours from the time of arrest to determine whether the suspects will be formally charged and placed in detention.
Budi said the operation was linked to an alleged abuse of authority involving extortion, which investigators believe was carried out by Etik and four of her close associates against officials within the Sukoharjo regency administration. He declined to elaborate on the allegations, saying the investigation was still ongoing.
Investigators also seized several pieces of evidence during the operation, including gold bars and cash in rupiah, Singapore dollars and Australian dollars worth billions of rupiah, which the KPK believes are connected to the alleged scheme, Budi said.
