The Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) investigation into Papua operational funds has entered a new phase, with Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission examining how money allocated for the governor’s operations in 2022 was allegedly disbursed through the banking system.
The investigation concerns operational funds managed within the Papua provincial government during the period when the late Lukas Enembe was governor. On September 17 and 18, 2026, investigators questioned five Bank Mandiri employees from the Jayapura branch to establish what they knew about alleged fictitious withdrawals involving funds that could reach trillions of rupiah.
The latest development is part of a broader corruption investigation into the management of operational support funds and official service programmes for the governor and deputy governor of Papua from 2020 to 2022.
The KPK has previously estimated potential state losses in the overall case at about Rp1.2 trillion.
Lukas Enembe was once a suspect in the case alongside former provincial assistant expenditure treasurer Dius Enumbi. But after Enembe died in December 2023, the KPK ended the criminal investigation against him while continuing the proceedings against Dius.
The latest investigation therefore has an important distinction.
The KPK is no longer pursuing criminal prosecution against Enembe personally. Instead, investigators are continuing to establish how the alleged financial scheme operated, who participated in it and whether state funds were actually used for the purposes recorded in official documents.
Five Bank Employees Questioned in Jayapura
The latest stage began with the questioning of five Bank Mandiri employees in Jayapura.
KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said investigators were examining the witnesses’ knowledge of alleged fictitious disbursements of the Papua governor’s operational funds during 2022. The examination took place on September 17 and 18, 2026.
The bank employees are potentially important witnesses because investigators are now looking beyond administrative documents and examining the movement of money itself.
That means the enquiry is moving towards the financial mechanics of the alleged scheme.
Investigators are seeking to understand how funds were withdrawn, what transactions were recorded, who had access to the money and whether the payments corresponded to genuine official activities.
Budi’s statement did not provide a final figure for the amount of money proven to have been fictitious.
Instead, he said the suspected disbursements reached a value of trillions of rupiah.
That wording matters.
The KPK is still investigating the transactions, and the exact amount eventually determined to be unlawful or fictitious has not been publicly established in the latest announcement.
The Rp1.2 Trillion State Loss Estimate
The new investigation is connected to a larger case that the KPK has been developing since earlier years.
On June 11, 2025, the commission announced an estimated state loss of approximately Rp1.2 trillion in the alleged corruption case involving operational support funds and programmes to improve official services for the governor and deputy governor of Papua from 2020 to 2022.
The KPK named Dius Enumbi and Lukas Enembe as suspects in that case.
However, the legal situation changed after Enembe’s death on December 26, 2023.
According to ANTARA, the investigation against Enembe was terminated following his death, while the broader investigation remained active.
The distinction between the overall estimated state loss and the latest alleged fictitious disbursements is important.
The Rp1.2 trillion figure relates to the estimated loss in the broader case. The KPK’s September 2026 statement that the suspected fictitious operational disbursements reached trillions of rupiah refers to the transactions being examined in the current stage of the investigation.
In other words, the latest figure should not automatically be interpreted as a final calculation of money proven to have been stolen.
How the Operational Fund Allegedly Worked
According to the investigation described by detikcom, operational funding during the Enembe administration was substantial.
Investigators previously examined an arrangement that allegedly set operational allocations for the governor at approximately Rp1 trillion per year. The KPK has been examining whether regulatory arrangements were used to facilitate the large allocation and whether the money was subsequently supported by genuine activities and documentation.
Detikcom reported that investigators suspected the creation of a provincial regulation, or Pergub, had helped provide an appearance of legality to the allocation.
The report said investigators were examining whether the regulatory mechanism was used to circumvent oversight.
These are allegations being investigated by the KPK and should not be treated as a final judicial finding against every person involved.
The core question for investigators is more straightforward: did the official documentation accurately describe activities for which the operational money was supposedly spent?
If the answer is no, investigators would need to establish who prepared the documents, who authorised the payments, who received the funds and whether the money was ultimately used for purposes unrelated to official operations.
Thousands of Questionable Receipts
The investigation has also previously focused on the supporting documentation surrounding the operational funds.
Inilah.com reported that investigators had examined thousands of receipts connected with the use of operational funds and suspected that some of the documentation did not correspond to actual expenditure.
That part of the investigation is important because corruption cases involving government operational budgets often depend on the relationship between three elements: the budget allocation, the financial transaction and the supporting documentation.
A transaction recorded in a provincial accounting system may appear legitimate on paper.
But if the underlying activity never occurred, or if the amount recorded does not correspond to the actual expenditure, the document itself becomes part of the investigation.
The latest questioning of bank employees potentially allows investigators to compare those administrative records with actual financial movements.
That could help establish whether the transactions described in official records were carried out as claimed.
From Documents to the Banking Trail
The decision to question Bank Mandiri employees suggests that investigators are following the money more closely.
Inilah.com reported that the KPK was seeking information about the mechanism of disbursement, the parties involved in transactions and whether the recorded payments were connected to real activities and legitimate accountability documents.
This is a significant step in the investigation because banking records can provide an independent trail alongside government documents.
A receipt may state that money was spent for a particular purpose.
A bank record can show when the money actually moved, from which account and to whom.
Investigators can then compare those records with other evidence.
The process can be particularly important when a corruption investigation involves a large number of transactions rather than a single payment.
The KPK has not publicly disclosed the complete number of transactions currently under examination or identified all individuals who may eventually face legal consequences.
That means the investigation remains open.
Lukas Enembe’s Earlier Corruption Case
The latest investigation cannot be separated entirely from the earlier legal proceedings involving Enembe.
In a separate corruption case, Enembe was convicted over bribery and gratification connected to projects within the Papua provincial government.
Detikcom reported that the Jakarta High Court increased his sentence on appeal from eight years to ten years in prison, while also imposing a fine of Rp1 billion and an order involving approximately Rp47.83 billion in replacement money.
The operational fund investigation against Dius Enumbi is legally distinct from that case.
This distinction is important because several investigations surrounded Enembe during the final years of his political career.
The KPK had also investigated allegations involving money laundering and other financial transactions.
When Enembe died on December 26, 2023, the KPK said his criminal liability in the corruption and money laundering proceedings ended by law. However, the commission also explained that the state could still pursue recovery of state losses through civil proceedings.
Alleged Movement of Cash Overseas
Another strand of the earlier investigation involved allegations concerning the movement of cash outside Papua and Indonesia.
In September 2023, HukumID reported that the KPK had questioned Gibrael Isaak, president director of PT RDG Airlines, in relation to allegations that Enembe had instructed him to transport billions of rupiah in cash from Papua to Jakarta and overseas using a private jet.
The report attributed the allegation to then KPK spokesperson Ali Fikri.
It is important to distinguish this earlier allegation from the current operational fund investigation.
The HukumID report concerned a money laundering investigation and alleged transportation of cash. The September 2026 investigation concerns alleged fictitious operational disbursements within the Papua provincial government.
The two strands form part of the broader history of financial investigations surrounding Enembe, but the available sources do not establish that every alleged transaction originated from the same pool of funds.
Enembe’s Death Changed the Legal Process
The death of Lukas Enembe fundamentally changed the legal trajectory of the case.
Enembe died at the Gatot Soebroto Army Hospital in Jakarta on December 26, 2023, while receiving medical treatment. Detikcom reported that he had been in hospital care and that the KPK had allowed his detention to be suspended for intensive medical treatment beginning October 23, 2023.
Following his death, the KPK stated that the criminal proceedings against him ended by operation of law.
That did not automatically end the financial investigation surrounding the broader case.
The KPK continued investigating other individuals and retained the possibility of pursuing recovery of state losses through civil legal mechanisms.
The current examination of bank employees demonstrates that investigators are still trying to establish the complete financial picture.
Dius Enumbi Remains Central to the Investigation
One of the most important figures in the current investigation is Dius Enumbi, the former assistant expenditure treasurer for the head of the Papua provincial government.
The KPK named Dius as a suspect alongside Enembe in the operational fund case.
After Enembe’s death, the investigation against Dius continued. ANTARA’s September 2026 report confirms that the KPK is still pursuing the case.
The continuing investigation means prosecutors and investigators can still seek to establish individual responsibility for alleged misuse of state funds even though the proceedings against Enembe himself have ended.
That is also why the questioning of bank employees matters.
Their testimony may help investigators reconstruct the financial chain and determine how operational funds were actually handled.
Why the Investigation Matters for Papua
The financial scale of the case makes the investigation relevant beyond the courtroom.
Papua has received substantial public investment over many years through national transfers, special autonomy funding and regional government budgets.
Operational spending by senior officials is only one component of that larger financial system.
When allegations arise that public funds were disbursed for activities that did not actually occur, the issue becomes one of public accountability.
For Papua’s residents, the question is ultimately about whether public resources are converted into services and development outcomes.
Money allocated for government operations has an opportunity cost.
Misusing those resources renders them unavailable for other public priorities such as education, healthcare, infrastructure, food security, or economic development.
That is why transparent investigation and, where appropriate, recovery of state losses are important components of public financial governance.
The Importance of Following the Evidence
The KPK’s latest move also illustrates why complex corruption investigations can take years.
The operational fund case covers a period from 2020 to 2022, while the current bank witness examinations are taking place in 2026.
Investigators are effectively reconstructing financial transactions from several years ago.
That requires matching documents, bank records, witness testimony and other evidence.
It also requires distinguishing between transactions that were simply unusual and those that can actually be shown to constitute a criminal offence.
The KPK has not yet announced the final findings of the current stage.
For that reason, the alleged fictitious transactions should remain described as allegations until the judicial process establishes the facts.
Accountability After a Political Era Ends
The investigation also carries a broader institutional message.
Political administrations eventually change, but financial accountability can continue after an administration has ended.
In Enembe’s case, the governor died before the operational fund investigation could reach a final criminal judgement against him. Nevertheless, the KPK has continued examining the broader alleged scheme and the conduct of other suspects.
This distinction between individual criminal liability and institutional financial accountability is important.
The death of a suspect ends criminal proceedings against that individual under Indonesian law.
It does not necessarily erase questions about where public money went or whether other individuals may have been involved.
The state can still pursue appropriate legal mechanisms concerning losses and assets, subject to the applicable legal process.
What Investigators Still Need to Establish
Several questions remain open.
First, investigators need to establish the precise amount of operational money that was allegedly disbursed through fictitious transactions.
Second, they need to determine whether the documents supporting those transactions corresponded to real activities.
Third, investigators need to identify the individuals who authorised, processed, received or benefited from the money.
Fourth, they need to determine whether the alleged irregularities resulted in an actual state loss and how that loss should be calculated.
Finally, investigators must establish individual responsibility through admissible evidence.
The September 17 and 18 questioning of five bank employees is one part of that process.
It does not by itself establish guilt.
It provides investigators with additional information to test the financial reconstruction of the case.
A Broader Lesson for Public Finance in Papua
The case comes as Indonesia continues to place greater emphasis on accountability in regional government spending.
For Papua, where public budgets have historically been large relative to the region’s population and geographical challenges, financial governance is particularly important.
Effective public finance requires not only allocating money but also demonstrating that it reaches its intended purpose.
That means clear regulations, reliable accounting, transparent procurement, strong internal controls and independent oversight.
The operational fund investigation illustrates what can happen when questions arise around those safeguards.
It also shows why banking data and documentary evidence can become central years after a transaction occurred.
Conclusion
The KPK’s latest examination of alleged fictitious operational funds from the Lukas Enembe era marks another chapter in one of the most significant corruption investigations connected to Papua’s provincial government.
Five Bank Mandiri employees from Jayapura have been questioned over transactions from 2022 that investigators suspect may have involved fictitious operational spending worth trillions of rupiah.
The wider case carries an estimated state loss of approximately Rp1.2 trillion, according to the KPK’s earlier investigation. But that figure should not be confused with a final determination that Rp1.2 trillion was entirely fictitious or unlawfully taken through the transactions currently being examined.
Lukas Enembe’s death in December 2023 ended the criminal proceedings against him, while the investigation into other individuals, including Dius Enumbi, continued.
The current phase now focuses on gathering evidence.
Bank records, government documents, witness testimony and transaction histories will help determine what actually happened to the operational funds.
For Papua, the significance extends beyond the fate of one former governor.
The case raises a larger question about the management, monitoring, and ultimate conversion of public money into public services.
If the investigation establishes wrongdoing, accountability and recovery of state losses will remain important. If particular allegations cannot be substantiated, those distinctions will also need to be reflected in the final legal record.
Either way, the continuing investigation demonstrates a basic principle of public finance: government funds remain subject to scrutiny long after the political decisions that authorised them have passed.
For Papua’s citizens, that scrutiny matters because every rupiah in a public budget represents a potential investment in the region’s schools, hospitals, roads, livelihoods and future.
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