Fana Suparman, Jakarta – A district head in South Sumatra was detained by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Saturday, exactly a month after his former governor father was also slapped with corruption charges.

Dodi Reza Alex Noerdin, the elected head of Musi Banyuasin district, is accused of accepting Rp 2.6 billion ($184,400) in bribe money from a businessman who seeks to win local government projects.

He is the eldest son of former South Sumatra governor Alex Noerdin, who last month was detained by the Attorney General's Office for a fraudulent gas purchase deal that according to prosecutors has cost the state more than $30 million.

The father is also a sitting lawmaker representing the Golkar Party.

Besides Dodi, three other men were also named suspects for the same case, including Musi Banyuasin Housing and Public Works Department head Herman Mayori, Natural Resources Division head Eddi Umari and a businessman identified only as Suhandy.

The district head played an active role in creating bogus projects and selecting companies to handle them, KPK commissioner Alexander Marwata said in a news conference.

"In addition, DRA also calculated a percentage of the value of the projects in Musi Banyuasin as fees," Alexander said, referring to Dodi by his initials.

According to the commissioner, Dodi determined a 10 percent fee of the projects for himself and up to 8 percent to be shared among his subordinates. That means any company that wins the local government project must allocate up to 18 percent of overall costs as a bribe.

Suhandy has been awarded four water resources management projects in the district worth around Rp 20 billion, Alexander said.

The director of construction firm Selaras Simpati Nusantara has agreed to pay Dodi and his subordinates Rp 2.6 billion as fees.

The four suspects are placed in different detention facilities, Alexander said without explaining why. They will be isolated for two weeks to follow the Covid-19 protocols.

Dodi, 50, was arrested in Jakarta, while three other suspects were apprehended in Musi Banyuasin during coordinated operations by KPK on Friday night.

The district head has reported personal wealth of more than Rp 38 billion, according to public official records on the KPK website.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/like-father-like-son-sumatra-district-head-detained-for-alleged-graf