Central Java Governor Comments After Pemalang Regent Caught in KPK Sting Operation
Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi has spoken out following the arrest of Pemalang Regent Anom Widiyantoro in a sting operation (OTT) conducted by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). He expressed deep regret over the incident. “In my official capacity as governor, I am very concerned and deeply, deeply regretful,” Luthfi said at his office in Semarang, Central Java, on Wednesday.
Luthfi stated that under Law Number 23 of 2014 on Regional Government, regents and mayors have full authority to manage their administrations and budgets. The governor, in this context, acts as a coordinator and supervisor of regency and city governance. He said his administration has undertaken various corruption prevention measures, such as providing briefings for regional heads through retreats, signing memoranda of understanding, establishing integrity pacts, and gathering regional heads for guidance.
“But we leave this to the juridical facts on the ground. So whoever is involved in a criminal act, any criminal act including corruption, it is about the individual, not the institution,” he said. “So there is no ‘regent’, just an individual. Which individual? The perpetrator. Someone who meets the criteria of sufficient preliminary evidence or sufficient evidence to be legally subject to an OTT by the KPK,” he added.
Furthermore, Luthfi asserted that the Central Java Provincial Government applies a merit system in filling civil service positions. He guaranteed there are no practices of entrusting positions or buying and selling of posts within the Central Java Provincial Government. According to him, previous governors had also implemented the merit system in Central Java. “So we just continue it, and I add the tagline: positions are no entrustment, no entrustment services. No entrusting and no entrustment service packages related to positions,” he stated. “If there are any, I myself will take action, let alone the KPK,” he added.
He also guaranteed that within the Central Java Provincial Government, position filling is not done through entrustment but is structurally based on the merit system, especially for civil servants, regional public service agencies, and regional-owned enterprises. According to Luthfi, public officials are only entitled to take responsibility, not money. Abuse of authority for personal gain, such as gratuities, cannot be justified.
Responding to the number of regional heads implicated in corruption cases, he said he would gather the regional heads again. This step is intended to strengthen corruption prevention efforts. Regarding the alleged buying and selling of positions and receipts in the Pemalang Regent OTT case, Luthfi said he would wait for an official explanation from the KPK. “Just wait for the official statement from the KPK. If I speak now, I might get it wrong,” he said.
KPK Statement
There has been no detailed explanation yet regarding the case involving Pemalang Regent Anom Widiyantoro. However, KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said it is related to the receipt of money concerning a project. “The closed investigation conducted by the KPK team is suspected to be related to receipts made by the Regent in connection with a project,” Budi said at the KPK building, as quoted on Wednesday.
The KPK has not yet explained which project is in question. The findings are still being investigated by the team during a case presentation with KPK leaders. “Whether the construction of the article is bribery or extortion related to a project in Pemalang Regency will certainly be presented and discussed in the expose,” he said.
Furthermore, Budi stated that the OTT of Regent Anom is also linked to alleged corruption in the buying and selling of positions. “In addition, there are also alleged receipts by the Regent related to the buying and selling of positions within the Pemalang Regency government,” he said. It is known that the KPK secured 21 people in this OTT. Twelve of them have been taken to Jakarta, while the rest remain in Pemalang. The KPK also seized cash amounting to Rp 2 billion from the case.