Rohidin Mersyah, the Governor of Bengkulu, will still participate in the 2024 Regional Head Elections (Pilakada). despite being named a suspect in alleged corruption by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
The KPK has named Governor Rohidin; along with Isnan Fajri, the Bengkulu provincial administration secretary; and Evriansyah, an aide, as suspects in a case of alleged extortion and gratification within the Bengkulu provincial administration.
Rohidin is suspected of extorting employees and accepting gratification to finance his re-election bid as governor in the Bengkulu election.
“In July, Rohidin said he needed support in the form of funds and a regional manager for the Bengkulu gubernatorial election in the Simultaneous Regional Elections in November,” Alexander Marwata, Deputy Chairman of the KPK, said on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
The prosecution of the three began with a sting operation (OTT) by the KPK in Bengkulu on Saturday, November 23, 2024 following a tip-off about alleged extortion of employees for the regional head election funding.
The KPK investigation team had arrested eight people, but only three of them have been named as suspects. The other five people have remained as witnesses.
The eight people are:
- Saidirman, Head of the Education and Culture Agency of the Bengkulu Province.
- Syarifudin, Head of the Manpower and Transmigration Agency of Bengkulu Province.
- Syafriandi, Head of the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Office of Bengkulu Province.
- Ferry Ernest Parera, Head of the Government and Social Welfare Bureau of Bengkulu Province.
- Tejo Suroso, Head of the Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency of Bengkulu Province.
The KPK has confiscated Rp7 billion (US$439,588) in cash in the OTT against Rohidin Mersyah. Alexabder Marwata said that the money was confiscated by the KPK investigation team at different locations. “The money were in rupiah, US dollars, and Singapore dollars,” he said.
The eight people were then flown by the KPK to Jakarta to undergo examination. After intensive examination, only three were named as suspects.
Alexander emphasized that KPK investigators had sufficient preliminary evidence to raise the case to the investigation stage and name the three as suspects.
Election contestant
The winning team for the candidate pair Rohidin Mersyah, Governor of Bengkulu, and Meriani as Deputy Governor, confirmed that both of them would still participate in the regional head election.
“The current incident has nothing to do with the Romer or Rohidin-Meriani winning team. Even if there is legal handling, it is legal handling from Rohidin’s team as a gubernatorial candidate,” Usin Abdisyah Putra Sembiring of the Romer election winning team said on Sunday, November 24, 2024.
