KPK says Pekalongan Regent Fadia Arafiq's staff consistently document in WhatsApp groups when taking money

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said staff serving Pekalongan Regent Fadia Arafiq consistently documented in WhatsApp groups whenever withdrawing money believed to be proceeds of corruption. ‘For every withdrawal of funds for the Regent, his staff always reported, documented and sent it through the WhatsApp group,’ KPK Deputy for Enforcement and Execution Asep Guntur Rahayu said at the Red and White Building of the KPK in Jakarta, on Wednesday, 4 March. Rahayu said Fadia then managed or distributed the funds to related parties. ‘So, she managed how much money came in and collection if a department had not paid,’ he said. If a department or regional work unit (SKPD) had not paid for service procurement, he said Fadia Arafiq immediately ordered payment to be made promptly. Meanwhile, he said one of the WhatsApp groups used to send the documentation was named ‘Belanja RSUD’. Earlier, on 3 March 2026, the KPK arrested Fadia Arafiq together with aides and trusted associates in the Semarang area, Central Java. Subsequently, the KPK announced the arrest of 11 other people from Pekalongan, Central Java. The sequence of arrests was part of KPK’s seventh arrest operation (OTT) in 2026 and coincided with Ramadan. On 4 March 2026, the KPK named Fadia Arafiq as the sole suspect in a case of alleged corruption related to outsourcing services or manpower outsourcing, and other procurement in the Pekalongan Regency government for the 2023-2026 fiscal year.