List of Suspects in BNPB Disaster Contingency Fund Corruption Case

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named five people as suspects in an alleged bribery and conflict-of-interest case involving disaster contingency funds at the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).

The five are Gabriel Purwaka Sigit, head of BNPB’s Assistance and Emergency Management Sub-directorate and commitment-making official; Bima Setiawan and Richard Erlangga, expert advisers to BNPB chief Lieutenant General Suharyanto; and private-sector figures Gery Prasetiawan and Syifa Nrika.

Bima is known to be the younger brother of BNPB chief Lieutenant General Suharyanto. The suspects have been detained for an initial 20 days at the KPK detention centre.

KPK chairman Setyo Budiyanto said the alleged corruption at BNPB was related to the misuse of disaster contingency funds.

“These contingency funds involve private companies. This is what we are investigating further. There are indications of cooperation and some form of rigging, particularly in the allocation of the budget and then its use, with some of it allegedly misused by several individuals for their own benefit,” Setyo told reporters on Wednesday.

The alleged corruption came to light after the KPK conducted a sting operation on Tuesday (13 October).

The KPK initially detained 14 people. One of them was Rustian, secretary-general of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).

Rustian was released after intensive questioning within 24 hours of being caught in the sting operation.