The central government is expected to appoint an acting Governor of South Kalimantan soon following the resignation of Sahbirin Noor in the wake of his legal wrangle with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
Deputy Minister of Home Affairs, Bima Arya Sugiarto, confirmed the resignation of Sahbirin on Wednesday, November 13, 2024. He cited that the Ministry of Home Affairs is processing his resignation and preparing to appoint an acting governor to maintain governance continuity.
The appointment is crucial as Vice Governor Muhidin, who is supposed to be the legitimate successor, is contesting the upcoming regional election as a gubernatorial candidate.
“The Ministry of Home Affairs will promptly appoint an acting governor to ensure the smooth functioning of the government, especially as Vice Governor Muhidin is running in the regional election,” Bima said.
This resignation follows Sahbirin’s implicated involvement in a corruption case. He was named a suspect by the KPK after an operation in South Kalimantan led to seven individuals being charged in a corruption case.
However, Sahbirin challenged hisstatus as suspect through a pre-trial motion at the South Jakarta District Court, which he won after the Court ruling on Monday, November 12, 2024.
The court ruled that KPK’s designation of Sahbirin as a suspect was invalid. Judge Afrizal Hady, who presided over the pre-trial hearing, declared KPK’s actions as procedurally improper and revoked Sahbirin’s suspect status.
