Sahroni: Handover of Rp300 Million a Strategy to Catch Fake KPK Officers

Deputy Chairman of Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Ahmad Sahroni, disclosed his involvement in helping the police uncover a fraud case perpetrated by fake Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) employees, culminating in the suspects’ arrest by a joint team. 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 the amount of Rp300,000,000,” he stated during a press conference in Jakarta on Saturday (11/4). He admitted to initially delaying the request because it felt suspicious, especially as the perpetrator kept calling and pressuring for the money to be handed over immediately. “I reported this to the KPK’s supervisory side to confirm if the request was legitimate. They said it was not true. I immediately said, ‘Just arrest them if it’s not true,’” he explained. After confirming it as a fraud modus operandi, coordination was carried out between the KPK and Metro Jaya Regional Police for enforcement action. In the process, Sahroni was asked to cooperate by handing over the money as part of the arrest strategy. “How can you catch someone if the money hasn’t been given? So we were asked to provide the money, not as payment, but to identify who receives it,” he said. He emphasised that there was no discussion about any legal case in his communications with the perpetrator. “That woman never discussed any case at all, nothing, she just asked for money in the name of the KPK leadership,” he added. The perpetrator even came directly to the DPR RI building and met the victim in the leadership waiting room before being secured along with other involved parties. From the case revelation, authorities seized evidence including around US$17,400 or equivalent to Rp300 million, as well as fake attributes such as stamps and KPK-headed letters. Metro Jaya Regional Police stated that the suspect, initialled TH (48), allegedly used a false identity to convince the victim. Sahroni assessed the modus as dangerous because it targets public trust in state institutions. “This is dangerous, it cannot be allowed,” he said. He also urged the public to always verify the identity of parties claiming to represent institutions and not to easily trust those promising to handle cases. The case is still under further investigation by authorities, with charges under fraud articles in the Criminal Code to provide a deterrent effect and prevent similar practices from recurring.