Former Investigator: Regional Leaders Simply Waiting to Be Arrested
Jakarta — Former KPK (Corruption Eradication Commission) investigator Yudi Purnomo Harapan has warned that regional leaders are at high risk of corruption-related arrests, citing a series of sting operations conducted by the KPK.
“Regional leaders are simply waiting for the moment they will be arrested, especially if their integrity is at zero,” Yudi said when reached for comment in Jakarta on Tuesday.
Yudi, a member of the Kortas Polri (Police Professional Code of Ethics Council), attributed this vulnerability to individual weaknesses in regional leaders. Beyond vulnerability, he identified additional factors: opportunity, desire, power, and money.
“Their high demand for money stems from wanting to recoup campaign spending, debts accumulated during regional elections, and meeting needs that cannot be covered by their salaries,” he explained.
Furthermore, regional leaders’ authority extends to the management of local budgets (APBD), special allocation funds (DAK), general allocation funds (DAU), personnel transfers, job auctions, and the receipt of payments.
Recent sting operations against the Regent of Pekalongan and now the Regent of Rejang Lebong should serve as lessons for other regional leaders, said Yudi, to prevent them from exploiting their positions for personal and family gain.
Regional leaders should recognise their duties and responsibilities as state administrators at the regional level, bound by the rule of law, particularly laws against corruption, Yudi stressed.
According to Yudi, the KPK must intensify sting operations such as these to create a deterrent effect for other regional leaders.
“Corruption prevention will not be effective when regional leaders intend to be corrupt from the outset of their tenure,” he said.
“Even when corruption prevention efforts are implemented, they simply pretend to participate in activities; in reality, it is merely a formality because the corruption continues,” he added.
The KPK conducted its first sting operation of 2026 from 9–10 January, arresting eight individuals suspected of bribery in tax inspection procedures at the Northern Jakarta Tax Service Office of the Directorate General of Taxes within the Finance Ministry during the 2021–2026 period.
The second operation on 19 January 2026 saw the KPK arrest Madiun Mayor Maidi. On 20 January 2026, the anti-corruption agency announced Maidi as a suspect in an alleged extortion case involving the promise of project funding and corporate social responsibility (CSR) monies as well as other gratuities within Madiun City Government, East Java.
On 19 January 2026, the KPK conducted a third sting operation, arresting Pati Regent Sudewo. On 20 January 2026, the KPK announced Sudewo as a suspect in alleged extortion related to village official appointments within Pati Regency Government, Central Java.
The fourth operation occurred on 4 February 2026 at the Banjarmasin Tax Service Office in South Kalimantan, with arrests related to tax refund procedures at that office.
On 4 February 2026, the KPK announced a fifth sting operation related to the importation of counterfeit goods. Among those arrested was Rizal, former Director of Enforcement and Investigation at the Directorate General of Customs and Excise within the Finance Ministry, who was then serving as Head of the West Sumatra Regional Customs Office.
The sixth operation was disclosed on 5 February 2026, involving alleged corruption in a land dispute matter covering 6,500 square metres at the Depok District Court in West Java. The KPK named Depok District Court I Chairman I Wayan Eka Mariarta, Depok District Court Deputy Chairman Bambang Setyawan, and the Director of PT Karabha Digdaya, a subsidiary of the Finance Ministry, as suspects.
The seventh operation was announced on 3 March 2026, during Ramadan. The KPK named Pekalongan Regent Fadia Arafiq as the sole suspect in an alleged corruption case involving the procurement of outsourcing services and other procurement matters within Pekalongan Regency Government for the 2023–2026 fiscal year.
The eighth operation, also during Ramadan, saw the KPK arrest Rejang Lebong Regent Muhammad Fikri Thobari on 10 March 2026.