Indonesia's anti-corruption agency (KPK) arrested former deputy minister for immigration affairs Silmy Karim on Thursday over alleged irregularities in immigration document processing from 2023 to 2024, when he served as director general for immigration under then-President Joko Widodo.

KPK spokesman Budi Prasetyo confirmed the arrest to Reuters. Karim was questioned at KPK headquarters on Wednesday night and emerged in handcuffs and an orange detention jacket about 10 hours later on Thursday morning.

The KPK has identified seven other suspects in the case, with further details expected later Thursday.

The arrest comes a day after the Attorney General's Office (AGO) detained Dadan Hindayana, former head of President Prabowo Subianto's free-meals program to combat malnutrition, on corruption charges. Investigators allege the program was implemented through school foundations used for criminal activities.

State Secretariat Minister Prasetyo Hadi expressed deep concern over the repeated arrests but stated the government respects the legal proceedings of the KPK and AGO.

Earlier in April, Indonesia's chief ombudsman was arrested just six days after his appointment for allegedly accepting a bribe from a local nickel company.

Source: www.aljazeera.com