Jakarta. Former Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo met with President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo on Sunday evening after submitting his resignation letter amid the ongoing corruption investigation at his ministry.

In response to his resignation, President Jokowi appointed Arief Prasetyo Adi, the Head of the National Food Agency (Bapanas), as the acting agriculture minister to succeed Syahrul.

"I expressed my gratitude to Mr. President and bid farewell. Unfortunately, I am unable to continue assisting Mr. President until the end of his term," Syahrul said in a written statement following the meeting.

He claimed that during his tenure since 2019, the Agriculture Ministry received 71 awards from various organizations, all of which Syahrul dedicated to the president.

Regarding the ongoing legal proceedings, Syahrul pledged full cooperation, emphasizing the importance of the accused presenting the best defense while respecting the rule of law.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has requested a travel ban for Syahrul, his wife, daughter, and granddaughter following a search at his official residence in Jakarta. During the search, investigators discovered banknotes worth tens of billions of rupiah and 12 firearms. A separate search was conducted at his private residence in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi.

The KPK is currently investigating allegations of bribery related to job promotions within the Agriculture Ministry and fraudulent projects involving private vendors. However, as of now, no further details have been disclosed, and no suspects have been identified.

Additionally, the anti-money laundering agency Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) recently revealed that it had provided the KPK with analyses of Syahrul's financial transactions.

PPATK Chairman Ivan Yustiavandana said that his office would not have submitted the analyses if there had been no suspicious transactions.

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