BALINEWSID.COM, JAKARTA – The Forum Masyarakat Pemantau Negara (Formapera) has urged Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to question Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni as part of its investigation into an alleged bribery scheme involving the release of Limited Production Forest (HPT) land in Kuantan Singingi (Kuansing), Riau.

The call came after the investigation, which began with the arrest of Kuantan Singingi Regent Suhardiman Amby in a KPK sting operation, expanded to include allegations surrounding an envelope reportedly left behind during an official meeting at the Ministry of Forestry.

Formapera Chairman Teuku Yudhistira said the KPK must investigate the case thoroughly and impartially, regardless of the positions held by those involved.

“This case must be investigated comprehensively. Anyone found to have received or benefited from money suspected to be part of illegal gratification must be questioned and held accountable,” Yudhistira said in Jakarta on Friday (July 3, 2026).

He argued that the minister’s decision to return the envelope should not automatically exempt him from legal scrutiny, stressing that investigators need to establish the full chain of events behind the alleged gratuity.

“The KPK must not apply double standards. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni should be questioned so the public can learn the full truth. Returning the envelope does not automatically close the matter,” he said.

Yudhistira also urged investigators to examine whether any funds may have flowed to other individuals within the Ministry of Forestry, saying the timing of the envelope’s return should be carefully scrutinized during the investigation.

Earlier on Friday, Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni confirmed that he had returned an envelope left behind by Regent Suhardiman Amby following an official meeting at the Ministry of Forestry on June 2, 2026.

The minister said the envelope was returned through his aide on June 12—17 days before the KPK conducted its sting operation in Kuantan Singingi.

“As a matter of moral responsibility and my commitment to fighting corruption, I returned the envelope, although I did not know what was inside it,” Raja Juli told reporters at the Ministry of Forestry in Jakarta.

According to the minister, he only became aware of the envelope after Suhardiman had left the meeting room. Feeling he had no right to receive it, he immediately instructed his aide to return it.

Raja Juli explained that the envelope was initially scheduled to be returned on June 5, but the plan was delayed due to official duties. The ministry’s Secretary-General later issued an assignment letter on June 11 authorizing the aide to deliver the envelope back to Suhardiman in Kuantan Singingi.

The minister said he possesses a receipt and photographic documentation confirming that the envelope was returned on June 12 at 2:57 p.m. local time. He also acknowledged contacting the Riau Police Chief to help arrange a meeting between his aide and Suhardiman.

Raja Juli further denied issuing any ministerial decree approving the release of forest land in Kuantan Singingi.

“There has not been a single decree issued by me regarding the release of forest areas in Kuantan Singingi,” he said.

He also insisted that no forest area in the regency had been converted into non-forest land under his authority as Forestry Minister.

Meanwhile, Acting Director of Investigation at the KPK Achmad Taufik Husein previously stated that investigators are prepared to summon Raja Juli if his testimony is deemed necessary to strengthen the bribery case. The anti-graft agency is also investigating whether illicit funds may have been distributed to other parties connected to the alleged HPT land release scheme.

Raja Juli pledged that the Ministry of Forestry would fully cooperate with the KPK by providing all documents and information required for the investigation.