Ahmad Baharudin Appointed as Acting Regent of Tulungagung Following KPK Sting Operation

Governor of East Java Khofifah Indar Parawansa has officially appointed Deputy Regent of Tulungagung Ahmad Baharudin as Acting (Plt) Regent of Tulungagung following the designation of Regent Gatut Sunu Wibowo (GSW) as a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Head of the Bureau of Government and Regional Autonomy at the East Java Provincial Secretariat, Lilik Pudjiastuti, stated that this appointment is to prevent the wheels of government in Tulungagung from grinding to a halt.

Lilik said that the Decree (SK) for Ahmad Baharudin’s appointment has been directly signed by Khofifah. This procedure complies with Law No. 23 of 2014 on Regional Government.

“There is already an SK [appointing Ahmad Baharudin as Acting Regent of Tulungagung] and it has been signed by the governor. We are just awaiting the official release,” Lilik said when contacted on Tuesday (14/4).

Unlike the appointment of a definitive regional head, Ahmad Baharudin’s appointment will not be accompanied by a ceremony at the Negara Grahadi Building in Surabaya.

“No inauguration is needed,” Lilik stated briefly.

Regarding vacancies at the level of Regional Device Organisations (OPD) or affected agencies due to the legal case, the East Java Provincial Government assured that it will not intervene.

Head of the Regional Civil Service Agency (BKD) of East Java, Indah Wahyuni, explained that the authority to fill positions at the regency level lies entirely with the local regency government.

“For that, the authority is with the regency, not the East Java BKD,” Indah said.

Deputy Regent of Tulungagung Ahmad Baharudin is a politician from the Gerindra Party. Previously, he served as Deputy Chairman of the Tulungagung DPRD for the 2014-2024 period and as Chairman of the Gerindra DPC for Tulungagung Regency.

In the 2024 Tulungagung Regency Election, he ran as Deputy Regent candidate for the 2025-2030 term alongside Gatut Sunu Wibowo. This candidate pair won over four other pairs by securing 297,882 votes or 50.72 percent of the total valid votes.

Previously, Regent of Tulungagung Gatut Sunu Wibowo and more than a dozen other officials were caught in a Sting Operation (OTT) conducted by the KPK on Friday (10/4).

Gatut, along with his aide Dwi Yoga Ambal, was subsequently designated as a suspect for receiving gratification within the Tulungagung Regency Government.

Gatut is alleged to have demanded a Rp5 billion contribution from at least 16 Regional Device Organisations (OPD) in Tulungagung. Of that amount, the realised funds received by the regent are said to be around Rp2.7 billion.

The money was used to purchase luxury items such as four pairs of Louis Vuitton shoes, medical expenses, personal dining, and providing holiday allowances to the Tulungagung Forkopimda ranks.

For their actions, the suspects are charged with committing criminal acts of corruption as referred to in Article 12 letter e or Article 12B of Law No. 31 of 1999 on the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended by Law No. 20 of 2001 on the eradication of criminal acts of corruption in conjunction with Article 20 letter c of Law No. 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code.