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JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested Indonesian Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Minister Edhy Prabowo on Wednesday (11/25/2020) over allegations of corruption in lobster hatchling export activities.
Edhy Prabowo was arrested Wednesday morning with his lawmaker’s wife, Iis Rosita Dewi, at Jakarta International Airport as they were returning from a trip to the United States.
Launch from AFP On Wednesday, the couple were among 17 people arrested on charges of taking bribes to issue permits to export crustaceans, investigators said.
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This year, Edhy gave the green light to restart exports of baby lobsters, a practice that was banned by former officials due to sustainability concerns.
“The arrest is related to the export (permit) of baby lobsters,” the chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Nurul Ghufron told AFP, without giving more details.
Edhy was questioned for up to 24 hours, according to reports. Channel News Asia on Wednesday (11/25/2020), it canceled the lobster larvae export ban in early 2020, imposed by its predecessor.
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The lifting of the ban has sparked criticism on sustainability issues. Then there were reports from an investigative magazine in July about irregularities in the granting of permits to export lobster larvae.
In comments to the media in July, Edhy Prabowo denied wrongdoing with the export of baby lobsters.
President Joko Widodo admits that he respects the decision of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to arrest Prabowo.
“I believe that the KPK works in a transparent, open and professional manner,” Widodo told reporters quoted by Mainichi Japan on Wednesday (11/25/2020).
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“The government has consistently supported efforts to eradicate corruption,” he added.
If Prabowo is charged with a crime, it could further damage Jokowi’s credibility in the fight against corruption, he said. Mainichi Japan.
This is because 2 members of Jokowi’s cabinet have previously been sentenced to prison in a corruption case.
Former Social Minister Idrus Marham was sentenced to 5 years in prison for being involved in a bribery case related to a coal-fired power plant project on the island of Sumatra.
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Former Youth and Sports Minister Imam Nahrawi was sentenced to 7 years in prison after being found guilty of personally using funds from the National Sports Committee.
Edhy Prabowo is vice chairman of the Indonesian Great Movement Party, or Gerindra, which was previously a rival to Jokowi’s supporting party.
He joined the Cabinet in October 2019 as part of an alliance formed after Jokowi’s election to a second term.
One of Jokowi’s campaign promises at the time was to lead a clean government in a country that ranked 85th out of 180 countries on the 2019 Corruption Perceptions Index, compiled by Transparency International.
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