KPK to Evaluate After Alleged Leaks in Langkat and Kuansing Sting Operations

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has stated it will evaluate the execution of its sting operations after two planned operations were allegedly leaked and became known to the relevant parties. The KPK conducted two sting operations within the past week. The two operations ensnared Kuantan Singingi Regent Suhardiman Amby and Langkat Regent Syah Afandin. During the operation in Kuansing, the KPK was initially unable to locate Suhardiman. During the search, the KPK also received information that Suhardiman had been picked up by a certain party. Meanwhile, in the sting operation in Langkat, the KPK stated that Syah was already aware he was being monitored by the anti-corruption body. This caused him to cancel a meeting with the suspected briber. Acting Director of Investigations at the KPK, Achmad Taufik Husein, stressed that a sting operation, or covert investigation, should not be known to the public. “Regarding the covert investigation, it should indeed not be known to the public, meaning no parties are asked for clarification by the investigation team. This means the investigation team goes directly into the field,” he said at a press conference on Friday. He therefore suspects that the arrival of the investigation team at a location serves as an indication to the parties suspected of corruption that a sting operation is imminent. “When they go into the field, there may be indications that they are known, perhaps because the person has been to Langkat before or there is information that these are KPK personnel,” he said. Furthermore, Taufik stressed that this issue will be investigated further by the KPK. He said the evaluation will cover the methods of deploying investigation teams to the field so they are not easily detected by outsiders. “So this still requires further investigation into why outside parties knew and then received information that a team would be going to Langkat,” he explained. “So this is not a leak from the outside, but these are merely suspicions that the person might have guessed that a KPK team was deploying to the region, leading to anticipatory measures being taken,” he added. Nevertheless, Taufik said the target’s anticipatory measures did not cause the enforcement operation to fail. He noted that the field team continued to carry out a series of investigative activities until they ultimately succeeded in finding evidence of criminal acts. “In criminology, a crime always leaves traces, so the field team continues to strive to conduct its investigation,” he concluded.