Misfortune seems unwilling to leave Hamenang Wajar Ismoyo alone.\nAfter being named a corruption suspect, he has now been expelled from\nthe party that brought him to office as Klaten regent for 2025\u20132030.<\/p>\n
Deddy Sitorus, a member of the central executive board of the\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), said the\nexpulsion was part of the party\u2019s internal mechanism, which\nautomatically applies to any cadre caught in a sting operation\n(OTT).<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, in cases not involving an OTT, we give them the chance to\nwait until there is a final and binding legal decision,\u201d the PDI\nPerjuangan central board member told detikX last week.<\/p>\n
Hamenang was expelled on Monday, 19 October 2026, four days after the\nCorruption Eradication Commission (KPK) formally named him a suspect on\n16 October. He was named alongside two others: Ahmad Luthfi H\nRahmatullah, head of the Central Java representative office of the\nSupreme Audit Agency (BPK), and private-sector figure Muhammad Amin\nWahyu Utomo of PT Madani Winasis Creative.<\/p>\n
Hamenang is suspected of involvement in five corruption schemes:\nmanipulation of BPK audit findings; bribery in the procurement of goods\nand services; payments from non-metallic mining excavations; regular\npayments from regionally owned enterprises; and collection fees paid by\nKlaten regency officials. He has been charged under Article 12(e),\nArticle 12(f) and\/or Article 12B of Law No.\u00a031 of 1999.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe KPK has placed the suspects in detention for an initial 20 days,\nfrom 16 October to 4 November 2026,\u201d acting KPK director of\ninvestigations Ahmad Taufik said at a press conference on Friday, 16\nOctober 2026.<\/p>\n
The KPK\u2019s decision to name Hamenang a suspect is not its first such\naction against a Central Java regent in 2026. Before Hamenang, the\ncommission carried out sting operations targeting five other regents in\nthe province.<\/p>\n
Pati Regent Sudewo was the first to be caught in a KPK sting\noperation in Central Java this year. The Gerindra Party central board\u2019s\norganisational empowerment chief was named a suspect in a case involving\nthe sale of public posts and bribery in goods and services\nprocurement.<\/p>\n
Last week, Edwin Pudyono, presiding judge at the Semarang Corruption\nCourt, formally declared Sudewo a defendant. He was sentenced to eight\nand a half years in prison and fined Rp300 million. Sudewo was also\nordered to pay Rp3.5 billion in compensation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the defendant does not have sufficient assets to pay the\ncompensation, he will be sentenced to a further two years in prison,\u201d\nEdwin said, according to detikJateng on Wednesday, 21 October 2026.<\/p>\n
Two months after Sudewo\u2019s arrest, the KPK carried out sting\noperations against two more Central Java regents. Pekalongan Regent\nFadia Arafiq was arrested in a covert operation on 3 March 2026. The\nGolkar Party\u2019s Pekalongan regional chair was detained over alleged\nmanipulation of the winner of a project procurement tender.<\/p>\n
Ten days later, the KPK arrested Syamsul Auliya Rachman, chair of the\nexecutive council of the National Awakening Party\u2019s (PKB) Cilacap\nbranch. The now-suspended Cilacap regent faces allegations of extorting\nholiday bonuses (THR) from officials in the regency. The money was\nallegedly intended to fund THR payments to a local mass organisation and\nfor Syamsul\u2019s personal use.<\/p>\n
In July 2026, the KPK carried out sting operations against two more\nregents in Central Java. Sukoharjo Regent Etik Suharyani was targeted\nover alleged extortion and deductions from the salaries of civil\nservants in the regency administration. The operation took place on 9\nJuly 2026.<\/p>\n
Pemalang Regent Anom Widyantoro was arrested by the KPK on 28 July\n2026, also over alleged extortion of officials in the Pemalang\nadministration.<\/p>\n
Both Etik and Anom are PDI Perjuangan cadres. This means three\nCentral Java regents from the party, including Hamenang, are now\nawaiting trial as corruption defendants.<\/p>\n
The high number of Central Java regional leaders from PDI Perjuangan\nimplicated in corruption is closely linked to the party\u2019s electoral\nstrength in the province, which has 39 regencies and municipalities. PDI\nPerjuangan has won every election there from 1999 to 2024.<\/p>\n
In the 2024 election, PDI Perjuangan secured 5.2 million votes in\nCentral Java, 2.2 million more than the PKB, which came second. The\nparty also elected the largest number of regional heads, with 19.<\/p>\n
Responding to the naming of three regional leaders from PDI\nPerjuangan as suspects, senior party politician Sidarto Danusubroto said\nthe party had repeatedly warned regional leaders against corruption. He\nsaid the party would not hesitate to take action against any of its\nregional leaders found guilty of corruption.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must stay away from such disgraceful conduct. If we associate\nourselves with those practices, we will be detained,\u201d Sidarto said.<\/p>\n
The six Central Java regents named as suspects add to the list of\nregional leaders implicated in corruption since the KPK was established.\nKPK enforcement data shows that 183 regents and deputy regents have been\ncaught up in corruption cases from 2004 to date. The largest number of\ncases occurred in 2018, when 30 regents and deputy regents were\nimplicated.<\/p>\n
Lakso Anindito, head of the IM57+ Institute, said corruption in\nregional governments remains the most prevalent form of corruption each\nyear. KPK data shows that the commission has uncovered 922 corruption\ncases in regional administrations to date, an average of 42 a year.<\/p>\n
Areas rich in natural resources and with extensive procurement plans\nare the most vulnerable to corruption, Lakso said. In resource-rich\nareas, corruption commonly occurs in the licensing process. In areas\nwith extensive procurement, it often takes the form of inflated prices\nor project bribes. \u201cIn Java, it is almost all procurement of goods and\nservices,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
More recently, these two methods have expanded into other forms,\nincluding extortion and the sale of public posts. But, Lakso said, they\nultimately remain rooted in the two main schemes: licensing, and the\nprocurement of goods and services.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes a regional head extorts subordinates over rotation,\ntransfers and so on. But what do the subordinates do in the end? It is\nthe same: they extort through licensing or allocate contracts so they\ncan make payments up the chain,\u201d Lakso concluded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/record-number-of-central-java-regional-leaders-caught-in-corruption-scandals-1793195575", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }