Cilacap Regent Accused of Extorting SKPD for Year-End Allowances Since 2025

JAKARTA — The Cilacap regent Syamsul Auliya Rachman is alleged to have extorted year-end allowance (THR) funds from regional work units (SKPD) since 2025.

According to statements made during investigation, the THR extortion was not limited to 2026 but had already occurred in 2025, though it had gone unmonitored and no reports had been filed previously.

“This has been repeated. If it is not caught red-handed, it will be repeated again,” investigators noted.

Based on Syamsul’s calculations, external THR payments required 515 million rupiah. However, he targeted collecting 750 million rupiah in THR funds. By the time of the arrests, 610 million rupiah in THR money had been collected. The extent of extortion that occurred in 2025 remains under investigation.

Cash totalling 610 million rupiah was seized from Ferry Adhi Dharma, the Assistant II to Cilacap Regent, one of the individuals tasked by Syamsul with collecting THR money from regional work units. The money had been placed into goodie bags intended for distribution to regional leadership coordinating officials (Forkopimda).

The anti-corruption commission (KPK) has named two suspects in the case: Cilacap Regent Syamsul Auliya Rachman and Cilacap Regional Secretary Sadmoko Danardono. The suspects face charges under Article 12(e) and/or Article 12B of Law No. 31 of 1999 on combating corruption, as amended by Law No. 20 of 2001, read together with Article 20(c) of Law No. 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code.