Garongan Village Chief Removed Over Rp 300,000 Corruption Case

The Kulon Progo district government has imposed strict sanctions on Garongan Village Chief Ngadiman after he was named a suspect in an illegal levy case. Ngadiman has been removed from his post after being charged under corruption laws over a sum of Rp 300,000.

Kulon Progo Regional Secretary Triyono said Ngadiman has been temporarily suspended because he has been designated a suspect. “Temporarily suspended, because he is already a suspect according to the police,” Triyono told detikJogja via text message on Tuesday (23/6/2026).

An acting official will be appointed to take over the duties left by Ngadiman. “There will be an acting official first, but today one has not yet been appointed, perhaps in the near future,” he said.

Meanwhile, Kulon Progo Regent Agung Setyawan revealed that the suspension decree for Ngadiman was signed on Monday (22/6). He stressed that the district government respects the ongoing legal process.

“The suspect designation emerged on Saturday, then entered the district government’s electronic system on Sunday. I then requested to trace the basis of the designation number. On Monday, the working day, I drafted the temporary suspension letter based on the designation number from the police and I signed it at 11 am. This means the district government has acted in accordance with procedure,” he explained.

“If there is a question why he could still enter the office on Monday, please coordinate with the village administration, because the letter from the district government reached the village around lunchtime. Clearly, I had signed it at 11 am,” Agung added.

Previously, Garongan Village Chief Ngadiman was named a suspect by investigators from the Kulon Progo Police Criminal Investigation Unit. He was implicated in an alleged illegal levy case after a resident claimed they were asked for Rp 300,000 while processing administrative documents.

Kulon Progo Police Criminal Investigation Unit Head, First Inspector Subihan Afuan Ardhi, confirmed the matter when asked. The suspect designation was made after the police conducted a case review. “Correct, designated as a suspect as of today,” Subihan said when contacted by journalists on Thursday (18/6).

Although already named a suspect, Ngadiman has not yet been detained. The police have only scheduled an examination of Ngadiman as a suspect for the following week. “Next week we will issue a summons for his examination as a suspect,” he said.

Subihan continued that during the case review, investigators concluded Ngadiman’s actions met the elements under the Corruption Eradication Law. Therefore, he is charged under Article 12 letter e of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption, as amended and supplemented by Law Number 20 of 2001.

In a viral social media post, a resident claimed they were initially asked for Rp 500,000 and ultimately gave Rp 300,000 to the village chief. When asked for confirmation by journalists, Ngadiman did not deny receiving the Rp 300,000. However, he insisted the money was given as a personal gift, not related to his position as village chief.

“Yes, they offered it. I accepted because the language, for Javanese people, is a token of affection. It went into my personal account, not the village’s,” Ngadiman told journalists previously.

He also stated the money did not enter the village treasury. “Oh no, not at all. If it’s for official duties at the village, it goes through the treasurer and assets. That was personal,” he said. According to Ngadiman, he only became aware of the transfer after being informed by the resident. “I didn’t even know when it came in. Suddenly I was told, ‘Sir, I’ve done it. Thank you.’ People here call it a token of affection, a gift,” he said.

After the post alleging illegal levies went viral and was perceived as an attack on the village administration, Ngadiman filed a counter-report against the resident. “It was personal. But the attack made it seem like my administration was engaged in illegal levies, not just targeting Ngadiman personally but the government,” he said. Ngadiman claimed the report was made to clarify the matter. “So that if we both report, there can be a confrontation or mediation, not just one-sided news,” he said. Some time later, the case was escalated from inquiry to investigation, during which police summoned more than a dozen witnesses for questioning.