Pekalongan Regent Was With Central Java Governor Luthfi During KPK Arrest

Bupati Pekalongan Fadia Arafiq said she was with Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi when the KPK’s arrest operation (OTT) took place. She rejected that any OTT had occurred, insisting it was merely a raid and that nothing had been taken or seized. ‘In essence, I was not involved in any OTT; I did not have any items taken, and at the time of the raid on my house, I was with the Governor of Central Java, so there was no OTT involving me, nor of any items,’ she told reporters at the KPK’s Merah Putih Building in Jakarta on Wednesday (4/3). Regarding the meeting, Fadia said she met the Governor to seek permission not to attend an event linked to the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme. ‘We discussed permission; I cannot attend the MBG event tomorrow,’ she added. She said she was puzzled by what has been described as an OTT and again insisted there was no OTT and no money or goods were taken. ‘So I did not commit any OTT, nor any item; by God there is nothing,’ she added.

The KPK carried out the OTT early on Tuesday (3/3) in Semarang, Central Java. The KPK arrested Pekalongan Regent Fadia Arafiq along with her aides and trusted associates. ‘That early this morning the team detained three people, one of whom is the Pekalongan Regent and the other two who are trusted aides and confidants of the Regent,’ KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said at the Merah Putih KPK Building on Tuesday afternoon. The KPK has named a suspect in connection with this OTT. Spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said the agency has elevated the matter to the investigation stage and that there is now a legal status for those detained. In terms of the arrest, the KPK team has sealed several offices, including the regent’s office. The entrance to the regent’s office, where a photograph of Fadia hangs above, has been sealed by the KPK. Several rooms in the head of department’s office, including the Public Works and Spatial Planning Department (DPU Taru), have also been sealed. Additionally, seals are visible in the Pekalongan Secretariat (Sekda) office.