UPDATE: Two New Suspects Detained in Jakarta‘s Culture Department Corruption Case
In a significant development in the ongoing corruption investigation, the Kejati Jakarta“>Jakarta High Prosecutor’s Office (Kejati Jakarta) has officially detained two key suspects. The arrested individuals are former Chief of the Jakarta Culture Department, Iwan Henry Wardhana (IHW), and Mohammad Fahirza Maulana (MFM), the acting head of the Utilization Division.
Kasi Penerangan Hukum, Syahron Hasibuan, confirmed the arrests on Monday, January 6, 2025. "[Monday, January 6, 2025] the Jakarta High Prosecutor’s Office, through the Corruption Crime Unit, detained several individuals, including the former Head of the Jakarta Culture Department, and two others: IHW and MFM, the acting head of the division," Hasibuan told reporters.
Upon exiting the examination vehicle around 3:00 PM WIB, both suspects presented distinct appearances. IHW wore a pink jacket and flashed a confident smile, whereas MFM wore a face mask.
Following their arrest, IHW is being held at the Salemba Prison, Jakarta, while MFM is detained at the Supreme Court’s Salemba Prison. Both suspects will remain in custody for the next 20 days.
Prior to these arrests, prosecutors had previously detained Gatot Arif Rahmadi, alias GAR, a director of an event organizer, on Thursday, January 2, 2025. GAR was identified as a suspect in this case.
Prosecutors have been investigating the case since November 2024, after discovering suspected criminal acts that led to an upgrade in case status to a formal investigation on December 17, 2024.
In a recent raid on the Jakarta Culture Department’s offices, investigators discovered and seized hundreds of counterfeit stamps.