Investigation into Rita Widyasari Graft Cases

THE Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) appears to conduct its investigation into the corruption involving Rita Widyasari, the former Regent of Kutai Kartanegara, East Kalimantan, one bit at a time. Of the four cases handled by the commission, only one has reached completion: the gratification case involving projects and oil palm company permits.

Rita was found guilty of bribery and gratification in 2018 and sentenced to 10 years in prison. The anti-graft agency subsequently expanded its investigation into other cases allegedly involving Rita, including money laundering and gratuities involving coal companies. While initially enthusiastic, the investigation has since stalled.

The KPK did not name three coal companies as suspects in a gratuities case until February 19, 2026. The investigation has been going on for three years, starting when Rita was named a suspect in a gratuities case involving coal companies in 2023. Suspects could have utilized this extended period of time to destroy evidence.

The KPK has a mechanism to make it easier to deal with corporate crimes, namely Supreme Court Regulation No. 13/2016 that regulates corporate responsibility in corruption crimes.

This regulation is reinforced by the new Criminal Code (KUHP), which expressly recognizes corporations as subjects of criminal law. This represents a shift in approach, from initially focusing on individual criminal liability to corporate criminal liability.

Before the new Criminal Code came into effect, corporate criminal liability was regulated per business sector, through the Environmental Law, the Corruption Eradication Law, and the Money Laundering Law.

Under the new Code, a corporation is held accountable if its management commits corruption in the company’s name and for its benefit. A corporation even can be prosecuted if it fails to prevent or willfully ignores such criminal acts.

The coal-related gratuities case implicating these corporations is not the only lingering case associated with Rita. A money laundering investigation also remains incomplete, despite Rita being named a suspect back in December 2017.

Last year, the KPK conducted a search at the homes of Japto Soerjosoemarno, Chair of the Pemuda Pancasila National Leadership Council; Ahmad Ali, the organization’s Deputy Chair; and businessman Robert Bonosusatya. Yet, the final destination of this money laundering case remains unclear. Most recently, the KPK questioned Japto as a witness on Tuesday, March 10, 2026.

The protracted handling of cases connected to Rita Widyasari certainly increases the risk of “foul play” between law enforcement and the perpetrators. This possibility is not without basis. Rita is suspected of giving money to former KPK investigator Stepanus Robin Pattuju to arrange the return of assets seized by the KPK in a money laundering case in 2020. Rita and Robin are both suspects in that case.

To prevent collusion in the legal proceedings, the KPK should resolve the various cases surrounding Rita. These cases should not be allowed to stagnate and give rise to new cases. The KPK can prove its resolve by bringing Rita and those in her inner circle to justice for the crimes that are firmly proven.