Pekalongan Regent Fadia Arafiq Denies Being Caught in Anti-Corruption Sting Operation

Jakarta — Suspended Pekalongan Regent Fadia Arafiq has again denied being caught in the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) anti-corruption sting operation.

Fadia argued that an operation tangkap tangan (hand-catching operation) occurs only when someone is caught giving or receiving money, and at the time of the incident, no such transaction took place.

“I want to clarify that I was not caught in a sting operation. A sting operation means I was giving or receiving money, but at that time there was no transaction whatsoever,” Fadia said after being questioned at the Red and White Building in Jakarta on Friday, 13 March 2026.

He stated that at the time, he had met with Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi to request permission to skip an event, and had subsequently met with his lawyer. “Then I sat at my car charger location with my children and my economics chief and aide,” he added.

Fadia explained that the KPK team arrived around midnight asking to coordinate with him. “Around midnight, the KPK suddenly arrived and asked ‘may we coordinate?’, I said yes and went with them, so I am clarifying that I was not caught in a sting operation,” he stated.

The KPK previously designated Fadia as a suspect in alleged corruption involving procurement of goods and services outsourcing within the Pekalongan Regency Government on Wednesday, 4 March 2026. According to the KPK, Fadia is alleged to have been involved in establishing family company PT Raja Nusantara Berjaya (RNB), participating in procurement projects within the Pekalongan Regency Government, directing subordinates to favour his company, and allowing billions of rupiah in profits to flow back to his family circle. The KPK revealed that Fadia benefited significantly as PT RNB undertook numerous goods and services procurement projects across various departments within the Pekalongan Regency Government.