KPK Analyses Forestry Minister's Report on Envelope from Kuansing Regent

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has confirmed receipt of a gratification rejection report from Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni concerning an envelope left behind by Kuantan Singingi Regent Suhardiman Amby during a meeting. The anti-graft body stated the report is currently undergoing in-depth analysis.

“We have certainly received the report and it is still in the analysis process. We will see. This is still being analysed, and our prevention colleagues will certainly coordinate with the enforcement division,” KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo told reporters at the KPK’s Merah Putih building in South Jakarta on Tuesday (7/7/2026).

Budi said the results of the review by the KPK’s Directorate of Gratification and Public Services would be disclosed to the public once the entire verification process is complete. “Whether what the Minister reported is firmly linked to the ongoing investigation into the Kuansing case or not, and whether it becomes the basis for the KPK’s response to the gratification rejection report, we will convey the results later,” he added.

Budi further highlighted the physical existence of the envelope. He outlined the ideal procedure for a state official upon receiving a gift from another party. “When a state official receives something, including an envelope containing money, they should report it to the KPK through the gratification reporting mechanism. Thus, the envelope and its contents should be attached to the gratification report,” Budi explained.

Previously, Minister Raja Juli Antoni clarified the meeting with Suhardiman Amby on 2 June 2026. He explained that the audience was conducted openly. “My first clarification is that it is true that on 2 June 2026, there was an audience with the Kuansing Regent at this office. This was an open audience; the regent sent an official letter, it was published on my and the ministry’s social media, and there is an attendance list and minutes of the meeting. So, if the KPK needs them, or we will even proactively submit what I have mentioned,” Raja Juli told reporters at the Ministry of Forestry office in Central Jakarta on Friday (3/7).

Raja Juli recounted that Suhardiman left an envelope covered by a folder in his office after the meeting. He then asked his aide to return the envelope immediately. “During the audience, it turned out that the Kuansing Regent left an envelope covered by a folder. When he left, I only just realised, and I immediately asked my aide to return the envelope. I did not know what was inside, but I felt I had no right to it, and I asked my aide to return it,” he said.

The aide, Raja Juli continued, returned the envelope at the Kuantan Singingi Police Station on 12 June 2026, 17 days before the regent was caught in a sting operation. Raja Juli also showed reporters the receipt and photos of the handover. “I personally called the Riau Police Chief to help facilitate my aide’s meeting with the Kuansing Regent at the Kuansing Police Station. So, on the 12th, a Friday, about 17 days before the OTT, my aide returned the white envelope to the Kuansing Regent. There is a receipt and a photo. I am showing you the original. This is the receipt, dated 12 June at 14:57 WIB,” he said.

Raja Juli described the return of the envelope as his moral responsibility. The PSI Secretary-General also reiterated his commitment to eradicating corruption. “So, on 12 June, 17 days before the OTT, as my moral responsibility and commitment to eradicating corruption and gratification, I returned the envelope, the contents of which I did not even know and felt I had no right to,” he stated.

The KPK previously responded to Raja Juli’s statement, emphasising that returning money does not automatically eliminate criminal liability if a criminal element is found. “Returning it does not erase the criminal act, but the extent to which the return becomes a fact that was initially constructed, that the regent was seeking a recommendation from the ministry, will be investigated by the investigative team,” said Acting Director of Investigation Achmad Taufik Husein during a press conference at the KPK building in Kuningan, Jakarta, on Friday (3/7).

The KPK has also indicated it is open to summoning Raja Juli for questioning if his testimony is required. “But we ask for time first because the investigative team is working. If his testimony is indeed needed, we will certainly issue a summons,” Taufik said. “But this is purely an investigative need. Not because of a press conference or from other parties,” Taufik concluded.