Pekalongan Regent's Office Sealed by KPK Following Arrest of Regent Farida Arafiq
Investigators from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) have sealed the office of Pekalongan Regent Farida Arafiq following a dawn raid operation.
In addition to Arafiq’s office, the office of the Regional Secretary (Sekda) and several departmental head offices have been sealed by the KPK on Tuesday, 3 March. Arafiq has been brought to Jakarta by the KPK for further questioning at the agency’s headquarters.
The front door of the regent’s office, which bears a photograph of Arafiq, has been sealed by the KPK. Two door panels have been sealed with white and red paper tape inscribed with ‘UNDER KPK SUPERVISION’. The tape also bears the KPK logo and the date 3-3-2026, signed by the investigating officer.
Similar seals have been applied to several departmental offices, including the Public Works and Spatial Planning Department (DPU Taru), as well as the office of the Regional Secretary. However, the office of Vice Regent Sukirman does not appear to have been sealed.
When approached for comment, Sukirman stated that he was unaware of the operation in his region, let alone that it would ensnare the regent. “I don’t know yet. Let us check first,” he said on Tuesday afternoon.
Regarding the sealing of various departmental offices, Sukirman also stated that he had yet to receive information. “I haven’t received any reports yet. There’s no information,” he added.
KPK Spokesman Budi Prasetyo previously stated that multiple individuals in addition to the regent had been secured by investigators. “Yes, during this closed investigation, the team secured several individuals in the Pekalongan region of Central Java, one of whom is the regent,” said Budi when confirmed on Tuesday morning.
Budi stated that those secured by investigators have been brought to Jakarta for further questioning. “The team then brought them to Jakarta for further investigation,” he said.
However, Budi has not provided further details regarding the individuals secured for questioning or the alleged corruption case under investigation.
The KPK has 24 hours to determine the legal status of those detained in the operation. Currently, those detained remain in the status of persons under investigation.