Sahroni Admits to Entrapping Fake KPK Member, Instructing Him to Wait in Leadership Room

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - Deputy Chairman of the Indonesian House of Representatives’ Commission III, Ahmad Sahroni, revealed his story of nearly being extorted by a fake member of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). The case began when Sahroni was contacted by someone claiming to be part of the KPK team and demanding up to Rp300 million. “What I want to convey directly is that this started with a request from someone claiming to be from the KPK team for an amount of Rp300 million,” he said during a press conference in Jakarta on Saturday. He admitted to initially delaying the request because he found it suspicious, especially as the perpetrator kept contacting and pressuring him to hand over the money immediately. “I reported this to the KPK’s supervisory side to confirm whether the request was legitimate. From there, it was conveyed that it was not true. I immediately said, ‘Just arrest them if it’s not true,’” he stated. After confirming it as a scam modus operandi, coordination was carried out between the KPK and Metro Jaya Police for enforcement action. In that process, Sahroni was asked to cooperate by handing over the money as part of the arrest strategy. “How can you arrest someone if the money hasn’t been given? So we were asked to provide the money, not as payment, but to ensure who receives it,” he explained.