KPK Urges Officials to Report Gratuities: 'Don't Think It Will Be Confiscated'

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has urged officials and state administrators not to hesitate in reporting any receipt of gratuities. The KPK stated that reporting a gratuity does not mean it will automatically be seized by the commission. This was conveyed by KPK Deputy for Enforcement and Execution Asep Guntur Rahayu during a press conference at the KPK’s Merah Putih building in Kuningan, South Jakarta, on Saturday (11/7/2026). Asep’s statement was made in connection with a report from Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni, who reported and returned an envelope given by Kuantan Singingi Regent Suhardiman Amby, suspected of containing Singapore dollars intended to facilitate forest conversion permits. “So our message is, if you receive an envelope, hand it over to the Directorate of Gratuities. Do it immediately, and it will be assessed. Do not think that handing it over to the gratuities directorate means it will be taken over or seized, no,” Asep said. “If the Directorate of Gratuities declares that it does not fall under the context of a gratuity, it will be returned to the person who reported it. So, immediately hand it over to the Directorate of Gratuities,” he added. The KPK has seized money believed to be part of the envelope’s contents that Minister Raja Juli returned to Regent Suhardiman Amby. The amount is SGD 12,000, or approximately Rp 168 million. “Yes, what has been secured by the investigation is that amount. Whether this is the money that was allegedly given by the Regent or received by the official, that will be part of the ongoing investigation. We will certainly conduct additional examinations to strengthen the facts regarding the handover. Let us just wait for the developments,” said Acting KPK Director of Investigations Achmad Taufik Husein at the KPK building in South Jakarta on Thursday (9/7). The money was seized by the KPK during the examination of Kuantan Singingi DPRD Chairman Juprizal as a witness. The KPK has not yet explained why the money was in Juprizal’s possession. However, the KPK stated that Juprizal is suspected of knowing that Regent Suhardiman collected money from Village Unit Cooperatives (KUD) for forest conversion matters. “There are actually many things that investigators still need to explore. Regarding who placed the envelope and what the meetings were like, we will wait for developments as the process is ongoing. The team is also still in the field to confirm the meetings and the amount of the envelope, the amount collected from farmers, the proceeds from their businesses, and whether it was converted into SGD. That is what investigators are currently looking into,” he said. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni later spoke about the meeting with Suhardiman Amby on 2 June 2026. Raja Juli explained it was an open meeting. “My first clarification is that it is true that on 2 June 2026, there was a meeting with the Regent of Kuansing at this office. This was an open meeting; the regent sent an official letter, it was published on my and the ministry’s social media, and there was an attendance list and minutes. So, if the KPK needs it, 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 after the meeting, Suhardiman left an envelope covered by a folder in his office. Raja Juli then asked his aide-de-camp to immediately return the envelope. “During the meeting, it turned out the Regent of Kuansing left an envelope covered by a folder. When he left, I realised it, 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. According to Raja Juli, the aide returned the envelope at the Kuantan Singingi Police Station on 12 June 2026, 17 days before the regent was caught in a sting operation (OTT). “I personally called the Riau Police Chief to help facilitate my aide’s meeting with the Regent of Kuantan Singingi at the Kuansing Police Station. So, on Friday, 12 June, about 17 days before the OTT, my aide had returned the white envelope to the Regent of Kuantan Singingi. There is a receipt, there are photos. I will show you the originals. This is the receipt, dated 12 June at 14:57 WIB,” said the PSI Secretary-General. Raja Juli subsequently reported the gratuity to the KPK on Friday (3/7) after acknowledging the return of the envelope. Regent Suhardiman Amby has been named a suspect in a bribery case. Suhardiman is suspected of receiving a Toyota Land Cruiser worth Rp 2 billion to appoint Zulkarnain as Regional Secretary. The KPK also revealed that Suhardiman had previously received a Mitsubishi Pajero Sport from Zulkarnain while serving as Acting Regent. Suhardiman became Acting Regent of Kuansing after the previous regent, Andi Putra, was caught in a sting operation in 2021. A total of three individuals have been named as suspects: 1. Suhardiman Amby, Regent of Kuantan Singingi; 2. Zulkarnain, Regional Secretary of Kuantan Singingi; 3. Ardiles, President Director of PT MIC. The KPK stated there are allegations of other receipts by Suhardiman. The KPK suspects Suhardiman received money from several Village Unit Cooperatives (KUD) whose members are farmers to process forest conversion permits. The authority for conversion permits lies with the Ministry of Forestry, while the local government has authority over technical recommendations.