REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA -- The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Monday sent Jambi Governor Zumi Zola to detention house after being grilled for 8 hours. KPK Zumi Zola was already named a suspect in a corruption case earlier this year but he was allowed to stay out of jail before KPK decided to put him in detention on Monday.
The politician of the National Mandate Party (PAN) and an official of the Jambi Public Works and Housing Office Arfan were charged with accepting a bribe of Rp6 billion related to projects of Public Works and Housing office in Jambi in 2014-2017.
The case implicating Zumi Zola was unveiled after the bribery case involving acting provincial administration secretary Erwan Malik, was caught red handed by KPK on Nov. 29 last year. Erwan and acting head of the regional public work and housing office Saifudin and a Jambi lawmaker Supriono were arrested by KPK on bribery charge.
Jambi Governor Zumi Zola wears orange jacket of detainee in KPK office, Jakarta, Wednesday (April 9).
KPK named Supriono as a suspect on charge of accepting bribe and Erwan, Arfan and Saifuddin were charged with bribing the lawmaker, to help ensure that the regional legislative assembly approved a regional budget proposed by the provincial administration.
Arfan, therefore, is suspect in two different cases. First he and Zumi Zola were charged with accepting bribe from business players and second he was involved in bribing lawmaker to speed up legislators' approval for regional budget.
KPK confiscated a total of Rp4.7 billion from those caught red handed by KPK. The money was to be used to bribe the regional lawmakers to approve the draft provincial budget.
If found guilty Zumi Zola will face a sentence of up to 20 years' imprisonment with a fine of up to Rp1 billion.