‘Even the Devil Would Be Ashamed’: Disaster Fund Corruption Exposed as Wildfires Rage

JAKARTA — Abdullah, a member of Commission III of the House of Representatives (DPR), described the alleged misuse of emergency disaster funds at the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) as an irony. The case came to light while people in several regions were still grappling with the “storm” of forest and land fires.

“I am deeply disappointed by the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) operation at the BNPB. If corruption is proven, even the devil would be ashamed of such an act,” Abdullah said on Thursday (15 October 2026).

“At a time when people in several regions are struggling with prolonged forest and land fires and their severe consequences, we have instead discovered that disaster funds were misused,” he added.

The KPK carried out a sting operation targeting officials in the BNPB on Tuesday evening (13 October 2026). Fourteen people were arrested in the operation.

The KPK subsequently named five suspects. One of them is Bima Setyawan, the younger brother of BNPB chief Suharyanto. Evidence seized by the KPK includes Rp3.3 billion in cash, hundreds of grams of gold and cryptocurrency worth up to Rp1 billion.

Abdullah called on the KPK not to stop at handling this case. He urged it to investigate possible irregularities in budget management in other areas of the BNPB.

“I urge the KPK to co-ordinate with the Audit Board of Indonesia (BPK) to conduct a comprehensive audit of the BNPB’s financial management. This audit is important to ensure disaster-response funds are used according to need, reach their intended targets and are not misappropriated,” he said.

According to the KPK, the alleged corruption at the BNPB may have been going on for the past three to four years. The alleged corruption centres on the misuse of tactical emergency funds intended for disaster situations.

The perpetrators allegedly exploited emergency provisions that allow direct appointments, manipulating procurement to obtain personal gain.

Pointing to the alleged lack of compassion shown by those accused of using disaster funds to enrich themselves, Abdullah raised the possibility of applying Article 2, paragraph 2, of Law No. 31/1999, as amended by Law No. 20/2001 on the Eradication of Corruption.

The legislation allows for the possibility of the death penalty in certain circumstances, including corruption committed during a national disaster. Although the forest and land fires have not been declared a national disaster, Abdullah highlighted the period in which the alleged corruption took place.

“The information is that this alleged corruption has been going on since 2022. The KPK therefore needs to investigate whether any corrupt acts were committed during a national disaster in that period,” he said.

“Applying the provision has strict legal requirements and challenges, including human rights concerns. But what must be underlined is that Indonesia has rules providing for the death penalty for corruption in certain circumstances, including during a national disaster,” he added.

Abdullah also said that action against those suspected of involvement must be accompanied by preventive measures to stop similar cases from happening again.

Reports have also alleged that some BNPB officials placed family members or close associates in vendor companies appointed to carry out disaster-response projects.

Abdullah therefore called for a roadmap to prevent corruption in the disaster-management sector.

“Disaster-response budgets are directly linked to public safety. Their use must be monitored from planning and implementation through to reporting. A roadmap would allow us to monitor and evaluate the BNPB’s budget use comprehensively. Irregularities must not only come to light after a disaster has passed,” Abdullah said.

The DPR law commission member also stressed the importance of deterring those who had, he said, tarnished humanitarian values. Corruption was already reprehensible, he said.

“And what has been misappropriated is disaster funding that concerns people’s lives and safety,” said the legislator for Central Java VI.

“If funds that should have been used to help victims are misappropriated, we must ask how many people may have failed to receive the help they needed,” he said.