Deputy Home Affairs Minister Condemns Pekalongan Regent Entangled in Corruption Case After She Claimed Not Understanding the Law
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs (Wamendagri) Bima Arya criticised Pekalongan Regent Fadia Arafiq, who admitted that she did not understand the law and the governance of local government, which led to her being named a suspect in a case of suspected corruption. Bima said that anyone who contemplates standing as a regional head should already possess the knowledge related to leadership and local governance. ‘Regional heads are the highest leaders of the local bureaucracy; they must not only master but also control and be fully responsible. This is what should be understood when deciding to become a regional head,’ Bima said in a written message on Friday (6/3). ‘If their background is not political governance, they should learn quickly. It is not possible to leave everything to the Secretariat (Secretary of the Regional Government) because the Secretary coordinates policy as the senior civil servant,’ he added. He then appealed to every regional head to carry out the mandate given by the people honestly and without corruption. ‘Regional heads are devoted individuals, not careers. They contribute, not enrich themselves,’ he said. Bima added that the Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian had already named Pekalongan’s Deputy Regent as Acting Regent. ‘Yesterday, the Minister of Home Affairs sent a radiogram to the Central Java governor, appointing the deputy regent as acting head to run the administration in Pekalongan Regency,’ he said.
Case Involving Fadia
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) named Fadia a suspect in a case related to outsourcing services procurement and other procurements in the 2023-2026 budget year. The head of Pekalongan Regency has since been held at the KPK detention house (Rutan KPK) Gedung Merah Putih branch for the first 20 days, until 23 March 2026. Fadia is accused of violating Article 12 letter i and Article 12 B of Law Number 31 of 1999 as amended by Law Number 20 of 2001 on the Eradication of Corruption, in conjunction with Article 127(1) of Law Number 1 of 2023 on the Indonesian Penal Code (KUHP).
The case was uncovered by the KPK through an Arrest Operation (OTT) conducted on Tuesday (3/3) in the early hours. The matter began when Mukhtaruddin Ashraff Abu (ASH), Fadia’s husband and a member of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) 2024-2029, together with Muhammad Sabiq Ashraff (MSA), Fadia’s son and Pekalongan DPRD member, founded PT Raja Nusantara Berjaya (RNB).
The company operates in the provision of services and has been active as a vendor in the procurement of goods and services for Pekalongan Regency government. ASH became Commissioner of PT RNB, while MSA was Director from 2022 to 2024. In 2024, Fadia replaced MSA as Director of PT RNB with Rul Bayatun (RUL), an employee and trusted associate of Fadia. While Fadia, as regent, is said to be the Beneficial Owner (BO) of PT RNB. Most PT RNB employees were part of the regent’s campaign team assigned to work in several Regional Apparatus Work Units (PDs) of the Pekalongan Regency government.
Throughout 2025, PT RNB dominated procurement for the Pekalongan Regency government, handling outsourcing services for 17 PDs, three RSUDs (regional general hospitals), and one district. In the 2023-2026 period, there were transactions to PT RNB amounting to Rp46 billion sourced from contracts between PT RNB and PDs in Pekalongan Regency. The funds were used to pay outsourcing employees’ salaries of Rp22 billion, with the remainder enjoyed and distributed to Fadia’s family totaling Rp19 billion, or about 40 percent of the total transactions. Details show Fadia received Rp5.5 billion; ASH received Rp1.1 billion; RUL Rp2.3 billion; MSA Rp4.6 billion; MHN (Mehnaz Na, also Fadia’s daughter) Rp2.5 billion; and cash withdrawals of Rp3 billion.’