JAKARTA, TheKabarNews.com—The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named North Bolaang Mongondow Regent Sirajudin Lasena a suspect in an alleged procurement extortion and gratification case. The case involves government infrastructure projects in North Sulawesi.

The KPK announced the designation on Tuesday, September 22, after investigators detained Sirajudin and 13 other people during a sting operation. The operation took place in Jakarta, North Sulawesi and Gorontalo a day earlier.

Investigators later questioned six of them and named Sirajudin the sole suspect.

“KPK has named one person as a suspect, namely SJL, the regent of North Bolaang Mongondow for the 2025–2030 term,” acting KPK Investigation Director Achmad Taufik Husein said.

Investigators allege that Sirajudin demanded a 10 percent fee from companies seeking procurement contracts. The North Bolaang Mongondow government administered the contracts.

The alleged arrangement included a four percent allocation for the head of the Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency. There was also a one percent allocation for the procurement working group, according to the KPK’s account.

The KPK also suspects that officials selected prospective winners before the formal procurement process began.

Officials allegedly wrote vendors’ names beside project packages on sheets of paper before preparing the tender documents. Those documents were needed to qualify those companies.

“Sirajudin set a project fee of 10 percent for goods and services procurement conducted within North Bolaang Mongondow,” Taufik said.

One transaction under investigation concerns the Rp1.9 billion (approximately US$113,000) Sangkub IV road project. The KPK alleges that a private contractor paid Rp130 million as part of the required fee.

Investigators seized Rp200 million during the operation. They said they found Rp130 million in a Jakarta hotel room. In addition, they found Rp50 million inside a suitcase at Sirajudin’s residence and Rp20 million at the public works agency head’s home.

The KPK separately alleges that Sirajudin received Rp11.14 billion in gratuities between 2023 and 2026. This period covers his time as acting regent and his subsequent elected term.

When combined with the alleged Rp130 million project payment, the suspected receipts total Rp11.27 billion. The KPK alleges that Sirajudin received that amount, which differs from the Rp200 million investigators seized during the sting.

Sirajudin has been detained for an initial 20-day period, from September 22 to October 11. Investigators are applying Article 12(e) on extortion and Article 12B on gratification under Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Law.

A suspect designation does not constitute a conviction, and prosecutors must prove the allegations in court.

“Please accept my apology, people of North Bolaang Mongondow. Pray that I can focus on this legal process,” Sirajudin said before entering a detention vehicle.

The case highlights persistent risks in public procurement. KPK data show that the commission handled 339 procurement-related corruption cases between 2004 and 2023. This makes procurement its second-largest case category after bribery and gratification.

The agency identifies project planning, vendor selection and contract supervision as recurring points of vulnerability.

Digital tendering can enhance transparency, but it does not stop officials from manipulating project specifications. Officials may also select vendors before the process starts.

The Bolmut investigation will now test whether prosecutors can substantiate the alleged scheme. It will also test whether they can identify any other parties who bear criminal responsibility.