KPK Finds 55 Kg of Platinum in Langkat Regent's Car

Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has uncovered a significant cache of precious metal, seizing approximately 55 kilograms of platinum from the vehicle of Langkat Regent Syah Afandin.

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The team also found 55 pieces of platinum metal with a total weight of approximately 55 kilograms in SAF's car.

The discovery was made during a sting operation on Thursday, with KPK's Acting Director of Investigation, Achmad Taufik Husein, revealing the find at a press conference. The platinum was found in 55 pieces within Afandin's car, with an initial estimate valuing the haul at around 40 billion Indonesian rupiah (approximately $2.5 million USD).

"We will ask for clarification from Syah regarding the origin of this precious metal," Husein stated. The KPK also plans to involve experts, potentially from state-owned companies like Antam or Pegadaian, to verify the authenticity of the platinum.

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The initial estimate is that it has a value because if we browse common websites, each piece is worth around 900 million rupiah. It has been checked on the website, so multiplying by 55 pieces is around 40 billion rupiah.

In addition to the platinum, the operation yielded substantial amounts of cash. Investigators seized 100 million Indonesian rupiah in suspected bribe money, along with foreign currencies totaling approximately 1.22 billion rupiah, including Singapore dollars, Malaysian ringgit, and other denominations. Two bank accounts belonging to Syah, holding around 2.27 billion rupiah, were also frozen. KPK has officially named Syah Afandin as a suspect in a bribery case related to project deals.

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Regarding its authenticity, we will also ask experts, perhaps from Antam, Pegadaian, who have the qualifications to know if the item is genuine or not.