KPK Searches East Java BPN Office for 11 Hours, Seizes Hundreds of Millions in Cash Alleged as Land Service Deposits

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) seized hundreds of millions of rupiah in cash during a search of the East Java Regional Office of the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) in Surabaya. Along with the cash, investigators secured a number of documents and electronic evidence allegedly linked to a corruption case within the ministry.

KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said the money was suspected to be receipts from applicants for land services at the East Java BPN Regional Office. “The money is also suspected to have come from deposits made by BPN land offices across East Java,” Budi said in a written statement on Friday (25/9). The statement indicates a pattern of unofficial levies involving a network of land offices in various regions.

The search lasted 11 hours on Thursday (24/9), starting at 10.00 WIB and ending at 20.57 WIB. Investigators were seen carrying suitcases and cardboard boxes under the guard of two fully armed Brimob personnel, then leaving the location in five black Toyota Innova cars. Dozens of employees at the East Java ATR/BPN Regional Office were reportedly held inside the building and were only allowed to leave at around 21.00 WIB.

The case highlights the vulnerability of land governance in Indonesia, a sector that often becomes a corruption loophole because it involves permits, certification, and land disputes with high economic value. The KPK considers bribery practices at land offices not only harmful to the state but also a drag on the investment climate and legal certainty for the public. The examination of documents and electronic evidence will determine whether there are new suspects among structural officials.

“Investigators will next review and analyze every piece of evidence secured,” said Budi Prasetyo.

For the public, this search is a test of the government's commitment to cleaning up the agrarian sector. If the alleged deposits from land offices are proven, the practice could be systemic and would demand reform of land service regulations, including digitalization and layered oversight. The KPK is expected not to stop at seizing evidence but also to trace fund flows to actors outside the East Java Regional Office.

Going forward, public attention will focus on the KPK's next steps: whether suspects will be named in the near future, and how far the case will implicate officials at the central Ministry of ATR/BPN. Without firm action, public trust in land bureaucracy reform could erode again.