Minister of Forestry Raja Juli Returns Gratitude from Kuansing Regent, Citing Regulations

Indonesia's Minister of Forestry, Raja Juli Antoni, has officially reported his rejection of a gratuity offered by the Regent of Kuantan Singingi (Kuansing), Suhardiman Amby, to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). The report was submitted on Friday, July 3, 2026.

"Last Friday, Minister Raja Juli submitted the report of gratuity rejection to the KPK," stated KPK Spokesperson Budi Prasetyo in a written statement on Monday, July 6. The KPK's Directorate of Gratuities and Public Services (DGPP) will now review the report to ascertain its validity and whether further action is warranted, following the procedures outlined in KPK Regulation No. 1 of 2026.

This regulation, which amends KPK Regulation No. 2 of 2019 on Gratuity Reporting, details the process for reporting rejected gratuities. According to Article 4A, state officials who refuse gratuities can report such rejections. The reporting process, as per Article 5, generally requires the inclusion of the gratuity object, unless it is perishable food or drink, which can be directly distributed for social benefit. However, Article 14 specifies conditions under which a gratuity report might not be followed up, such as if the object is perishable, cannot be sold or used, the report is inaccurate, or if the matter is already under investigation by law enforcement.

Minister Raja Juli reportedly returned the envelope containing the gratuity to the Regent approximately 17 days before the KPK conducted an arrest operation against Suhardiman Amby. The meeting where the gratuity was offered took place on Tuesday, June 2, at the Ministry of Forestry, following an official request from the regional government.