TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is considering the possibility of questioning Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni in the alleged bribery case involving the release of the Limited Production Forests (HPT) in Kuantan Singingi or Kuansing, Riau.
In this case, Kuansing Regent Suhardiman Amby is accused of receiving gratuities or other benefits linked to the release of HPT.
KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said that it's possible for the investigators to request information from witnesses to explain the initial evidence. As of Thursday, July 2, 2026, KPK had yet to schedule witness examination.
Normally, KPK will first raid several sealed locations during the sting operation. "Let's see how it develops, according to the needs in the investigation process. KPK is open to the possibility of summoning anyone whose testimony is necessary to help move along the probe," said Budi when met at the KPK building, South Jakarta, on Friday, July 3, 2026.
Fundamentally, according to Budi, a witness is necessary to strengthen existing evidence. "Especially since bribery is a recurring method by Mr. ZKN (Zulkarnain) during his tenure as the Head of the Public Works and Housing Office in Kuansing," Budi said.
Reported by several media in Riau, Suhardiman held a meeting with Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni at the Ministry of Forestry, Jakarta, on June 2, 2026.
One of the agendas discussed in the meeting was the regency's plan to include 3,800 hectares of land for the Land Object for Agrarian Reform (TORA) program.
KPK suspects that Suhardiman Amby received gratuities or other benefits related to the release of the HPT area. The allegations emerged after investigators questioned Suhardiman as part of the sting operation in Kuantan Singingi Regency.
The Acting Director of Investigations at the KPK, Achmad Taufik Husein, stated that Suhardiman allegedly requested a portion of the remaining profits of the Village Unit Cooperative, comprising farmers in Kuantan Singingi Regency. Suhardiman is accused of taking half of the farmers' income, which amounted to a meager hundreds of thousands of rupiah each month.
"KPK will continue to further investigate this, including whether [the money] flowed to other parties," he said.
According to Taufik, the case began when the Kuantan Singingi Regency Government conducted a selection for the position of the Regional Secretary in April 2025. Two officials participated in the selection, namely the Assistant I and Acting Regional Secretary of Kuantan Singingi Regency, Fahdiansyah, as well as Zulkarnain.
During the selection process, Taufik said Suhardiman requested a Toyota Land Cruiser 300 GR-S as a requirement for both candidates. "In the process, only ZKN agreed to the request. As a result, ZKN was selected as the Regional Secretary of Kuansing for the 2025 period," said Taufik.
To fulfill the request, Zulkarnain bought the Land Cruiser for Rp2 billion at a showroom in Greater Jakarta. Taufik said Zulkarnain planned to buy the vehicle on credit with installments of Rp46.5 million per month over five years.
However, Zulkarnain did not meet the requirements to obtain the credit facility. Therefore, he used the identity of Ardiles, the Managing Director of PT Mitra Ideal Consultant, to apply for the credit.
Previously, Zulkarnain also provided a Mitsubishi Pajero car worth Rp700 million to Suhardiman to obtain a position as the Head of the Public Works and Housing Office of Kuantan Singingi Regency in 2021.
Taufik said that Ardiles helped Zulkarnain to obtain multiple projects from the Kuantan Singingi Regency Government.
M. Raihan Muzzaki contributed to the writing of this article.
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