State Secretary: Corruption prevention must begin within government ranks

Jakarta (ANTARA) - State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi has reminded that the fight against corruption is one of the heavy tasks that must begin within the government ranks currently entrusted with authority. Prasetyo stated that President Prabowo Subianto has repeatedly reiterated his commitment to eradicating corruption to his subordinates.

“The President has repeatedly reminded all ranks that one of our heavy tasks is to combat what is known as corruption,” said Prasetyo after attending a fiscal and monetary coordination meeting at the parliamentary complex, Jakarta, on Saturday. Prasetyo made these remarks in response to questions regarding several executive officials recently implicated in corruption cases.

He stated that the President’s warning must be implemented by all officials across all ministries and agencies within the current cabinet. As the Head of State, President Prabowo also serves as the Head of Government. Therefore, he urged all parties to abandon practices that lead to violations of legal norms, particularly corruption.

“Let us reform ourselves,” said the man affectionately known as Pras.

Previously, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) detained the Deputy Minister of Immigration and Correctional Services, Silmy Karim, along with seven civil servants from the Ministry of Immigration and Correctional Services, over alleged extortion. Silmy Karim is suspected of receiving a regular share of approximately Rp100 million per week from the alleged extortion of foreign national stay permits since serving as the Director General of Immigration at the Ministry of Law and Human Rights during 2023-2024. The KPK also suspects Silmy continued to receive these funds while serving as Deputy Minister.

Furthermore, the Attorney General’s Office has named three former officials of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) as suspects in a corruption case involving the management of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme for 2025–2026. The three individuals are former Head of BGN Dadan Hindayana, former Deputy Head of BGN for Organisational Development and Institutional Support Lodewyk Pusung, and former Deputy Head of BGN for Operational Nutrition Fulfilment Sony Sonjaya. They are suspected of inflating the prices of procurement for electric motorcycles and footwear within the BGN.