KPK Warns Political Parties on Ex-Corruptor Cadres: Integrity Is Essential

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Chairman Setyo Budiyanto has issued a stern warning to political parties regarding the recruitment of cadres, especially individuals previously implicated in corruption cases. Setyo stated that a party’s internal mechanism should carefully consider and assess the character of prospective members to maintain the party’s own integrity. He was responding to reports that former Southeast Sulawesi Governor Nur Alam has joined the Indonesia Solidarity Party (PSI). “The most important thing is integrity. It is expected that cadres are people who possess integrity,” he said in Rasuna Said, Jakarta, Sunday, 21 June 2026. “So it is not just the integrity of the individual, but also that of the party,” he added. He further revealed that a political party’s integrity is not only reflected in its political activities but also has a direct impact on the welfare of the wider community. “Therefore, everything certainly requires integrity that is relevant to the activities of a political party,” he concluded. The name of former Southeast Sulawesi Governor Nur Alam has returned to the public spotlight following reports of his joining the Indonesia Solidarity Party (PSI). News of Nur Alam joining the party led by Kaesang emerged after his meeting with the 7th President Joko Widodo, or Jokowi. This development has naturally drawn a response from the KPK, the law enforcement agency that handled Nur Alam’s case. Nur Alam has been on conditional release since 16 January 2024 and will remain under the supervision of the Bandung Class I Correctional Centre until 27 January 2029. In his case, Nur Alam was sentenced to 12 years in prison for corruption that caused state losses amounting to trillions of rupiah. The case ensnared him over bribery and gratuities related to a number of mining permits. In addition to the prison sentence, the verdict read on 28 March 2018 by the panel of judges at the Jakarta Corruption Court also required Nur Alam to pay restitution of Rp2.7 billion and imposed a revocation of his political rights for five years after completing his sentence.