Abraham Samad

Abraham Samad (born 27 November 1966) is an Indonesian lawyer and activist who was elected in December 2011 as chair of the country's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for 2011–2015.

Early life Abraham was born on 27 November 1966 in Makassar, South Sulawesi. He and his five siblings were the children of an army captain and his wife Indriana Kartika, an employee of the Department of Information; , three of his siblings work for the state television station TVRI while his brother Imran is a district head in Rappocini, Makassar. According to Imran, as a child Abraham was hard-headed and forceful when he wanted something.

Abraham, who enjoyed reading about Abraham Lincoln as a youth and considered the American president a hero, attended Kunjung Mae Elementary School in Makassar. He attended three different junior high schools, eventually graduating from Sulaiman Catholic Junior High School. He then finished his secondary education at Cenderawasih Catholic Senior High School. During this period he was known as a quarrelsome student. Abraham said that he would work to improve the country's witness protection programme, improve cooperation between law enforcement agencies, and take steps to prevent – rather than merely react to – corruption.

Some anti-corruption activists expressed disappointment in the decision, stating that Abraham had been selected to please political parties rather than to combat graft.