KPK Chief Explains Why BNPB Secretary-General Was Released Despite Being Caught in Raid

SLEMAN — The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has explained why it did not name National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Secretary-General Rustian a suspect in an alleged corruption case, although he was among those detained during a sting operation. The KPK said its case review had found no unlawful conduct by Rustian.

“The review has not found any unlawful conduct by the Secretary-General,” KPK chairman Setyo Budiyanto said in Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta, on Wednesday (14 June 2026).

Setyo said that, based on a case review held on Tuesday night (13 October 2026), the KPK had named five people as suspects in the alleged corruption case within the BNPB. “Yes, as of last night, that is why there are only five,” he said.

The KPK previously confirmed that it had conducted a sting operation at the BNPB on 13 October 2026. Fourteen people were detained, including Rustian and several private-sector figures.

The alleged corruption concerns the procurement of goods and services, with the budget believed to have come from contingency funds for disaster response.

On 14 October 2026, the KPK named five people as suspects in the case. One is Bima Setiawan, the younger brother of, and an expert adviser to, BNPB chief Lieutenant General Suharyanto.

According to information gathered, the four other suspects are Gabriel Purwaka Sigit, head of the BNPB Subdirectorate for Emergency Assistance and Fund Management; Richard Erlangga, an expert adviser to the BNPB chief; and two private-sector figures, Syifa Nrika Ghifarin and Gery Prasetiawan.