KPK States It Requires Budi Karya Sumadi's Testimony for Railway Directorate Corruption Case
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has stated that it requires testimony from former Transport Minister Budi Karya Sumadi (BKS) for the investigation into alleged bribery in railway construction and maintenance projects within the Directorate General of Railways (DJKA) at the Ministry of Transport.
“The summoning of witness BKS is necessary to provide testimony relating to projects at DJKA, as DJKA falls under the Ministry of Transport,” KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo told journalists in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Budi said DJKA projects linked to the case — spanning Sulawesi, Java, the Special Region of Yogyakarta and Sumatra — were closely connected to Budi Karya Sumadi’s duties during his tenure as Transport Minister.
“Naturally, testimony is required from the minister at the time, regarding his knowledge of the projects carried out at DJKA, in which the execution of these projects allegedly involved the manipulation and engineering of tender winners,” he said.
He added that Budi Karya Sumadi’s testimony could help the KPK examine the alleged payments made to parties within DJKA at the Ministry of Transport as a result of such tender rigging.
Furthermore, he said the former Transport Minister’s testimony could assist the KPK in tracing the flow of funds in the alleged corruption case at DJKA to members of the House of Representatives’ Commission V, which serves as the parliamentary partner of the Ministry of Transport.
“In this case, the KPK has also named SDW from the House of Representatives cluster, specifically Commission V as the partner of the Ministry of Transport, who is also suspected of involvement in project manipulation. The individual is also suspected of receiving project fees,” he said.
The SDW referred to by Budi is Sudewo, a member of Commission V of the House of Representatives for the 2019–2024 term.
The case first came to light following a sting operation conducted by the KPK on 11 April 2023 at the Class I Railway Technical Centre for the Central Java Region under DJKA at the Ministry of Transport. The centre has since been renamed the Class I Railway Technical Centre Semarang.
The KPK subsequently named 10 suspects who were immediately detained in connection with the alleged corruption in railway construction and maintenance projects across Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi.
As of 20 January 2026, the KPK has named and detained a total of 21 suspects. The commission has also named two corporations as suspects in the case.
The alleged corruption involves the construction of the Solo Balapan–Kadipiro–Kalioso double-track railway; the railway construction project in Makassar, South Sulawesi; four railway construction projects and two supervision projects in Lampegan, Cianjur, West Java; and a level crossing improvement project spanning Java and Sumatra.
In the construction and maintenance of these projects, tender winners were allegedly manipulated by certain parties through engineering from the administrative process through to the determination of winning bidders.
Budi Karya Sumadi had previously been examined by the KPK in connection with the case. He was last examined as a witness in the DJKA corruption case on 26 July 2023.
On 18 February 2026, the KPK again summoned Budi Karya Sumadi. However, he was unable to comply with the summons due to a prior engagement.