Jakarta, ThedailyID — Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is investigating alleged corruption involving disaster emergency funds at the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). The case has raised questions about whether the suspects could face the death penalty under Indonesian law.
KPK has named five suspects in the case. They include BNPB official Gabriel Purwaka Sigit, two experts linked to BNPB chief Lieutenant General Suharyanto, Bima Setiawan and Richard Erlangga, as well as private-sector figures Gery Prasetiawan and Syifa Nrika. Bima is the younger brother of former BNPB chief Suharyanto.
KPK acting investigation director Achmad Taufik Husein said several suppliers involved in BNPB procurement had links to Bima. Between 2024 and 2026, procurement at the agency reached Rp148 billion, funded through the Disaster Ready Fund, which supports emergency responses to major disasters.
These operations included forest and land fires in Papua and Kalimantan, floods in Sumatra and Aceh in November 2025, and a recent earthquake in East Nusa Tenggara. KPK said investigators had found indications of conflicts of interest and bribery in the use of the funds.
Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Law allows the death penalty for certain corruption offenses committed under exceptional circumstances. Article 2, Paragraph 2 of Law No. 31 of 1999 includes corruption committed during a national disaster, a state of emergency, or an economic and monetary crisis.
However, KPK did not apply those provisions to the five suspects. Taufik said investigators faced a strict deadline after a sting operation, known locally as an OTT, to determine whether the case should proceed to the investigation stage.
Under the procedure cited by KPK, investigators had 24 hours to determine the suspects’ legal status following the arrest. Taufik said the team instead applied Article 12(i), which concerns conflicts of interest in procurement.
The investigation remains focused on alleged irregularities in the use of emergency funds. KPK has also faced calls to examine whether other officials were involved and to trace the flow of money in the case.
