KPK Arrests Seven in Langkat Sting Operation, Including Regent

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has arrested seven people across three areas in North Sumatra in connection with a sting operation (OTT) targeting Langkat Regent Syah Afandin, also known as Ondim. KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo stated at the KPK’s Merah Putih Building in Jakarta on Friday that the seven individuals were detained in Langkat, Binjai, and Medan. Budi explained that the group comprises Ondim, a civil servant (ASN) in Langkat, and five private sector individuals. The KPK has a 1x24 hour window to determine the legal status of those caught in the operation, in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP). This operation is the KPK’s first of July 2026, following a series of arrests throughout the year. The commission began 2026 with its first sting, detaining eight people on 9-10 January over alleged bribery related to tax audits at the North Jakarta Madya Tax Service Office within the Ministry of Finance’s Directorate General of Taxes for the 2021–2026 period. Later that month, the KPK arrested Madiun Mayor Maidi in a second operation and Pati Regent Sudewo in a third. In February 2026, the head of the Banjarmasin Madya Tax Office in South Kalimantan was arrested in the fourth operation. That same month, the KPK also detained Rizal, the former Director of Enforcement and Investigation at the Ministry of Finance’s Directorate General of Customs and Excise, who was serving as Head of the West Sumatra Customs Regional Office, in the fifth sting. The sixth operation saw the arrest of Depok District Court Chief Judge I Wayan Eka Mariarta and Deputy Chief Judge Bambang Setyawan. During March 2026, which coincided with the Ramadan fasting month, the KPK arrested Pekalongan Regent Fadia Arafiq, Rejang Lebong Regent Muhammad Fikri Thobari, and Cilacap Regent Syamsul Auliya Rachman in separate sting operations. In April 2026, the KPK conducted its tenth sting, arresting Tulungagung Regent Gatut Sunu Wibowo, though no operations took place throughout May. June 2026 saw the KPK resume its activities, leading Deputy Minister for Immigration and Corrections Silmy Karim to surrender himself. The commission subsequently arrested Muara Enim Regent Edison in the twelfth sting and a civil servant from the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) in the thirteenth, a follow-up to a previous operation. The fourteenth sting resulted in Kuantan Singingi Regent Suhardiman Amby surrendering himself.