KPK Arrests Three More Suspects in East Java Community Group Grant Bribery Case
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has again detained three suspects in a bribery case related to community group grants (pokmas) from the East Java Provincial Budget for the 2019-2022 period. The three suspects, all private individuals, are Achmad Yahya M (AY), M Fathullah (MF), and RA Wahid Ruslan (RWR).
KPK’s Acting Director of Investigations, Achmad Taufik Husein, explained that the three suspects acted as field coordinators (korlap) and provided a total of Rp6.4 billion in commitment fees to Anwar Sadad, a member of the East Java DPRD, to secure grant funds for their respective regions. Yahya and Fathullah were coordinators for the Pasuruan region, while Wahid Ruslan was for Bangkalan.
Taufik detailed that during the grant disbursement process, the suspects first created a proposal to be submitted to the DPRD. This proposal included a cost budget plan (RAB) and an accountability report (LPJ) that did not accurately reflect the community’s needs. “The field coordinators who were willing to provide a commitment fee would form a Community Group (Pokmas) or use a certain institution and create a proposal for the grant funds,” Taufik stated during a press conference at the KPK’s Merah Putih Building in South Jakarta on Wednesday (22/7/2026).
Ideally, the disbursement of grants to a community area should be based on direct checks by council members during the recess period, where dialogue with the community would ensure a more effective and genuine distribution of funds. However, the proposals made by the field coordinators were submitted to the DPRD members along with a commitment fee, referred to as ‘ijon’ (a bribe paid upfront for future profit).
Taufik explained that through Bagus Wahyudiono, a staff member of Anwar Sadad, the DPRD member allegedly received at least Rp6.9 billion from the three suspects. The breakdown of the bribes is as follows: Achmad Yahya provided Rp1.87 billion to secure Rp14.8 billion in grants; RA Wahid Ruslan provided Rp1.42 billion for Rp28.9 billion in grants; and M Fathullah provided Rp3.61 billion for Rp24 billion in grants.
With these latest arrests, the KPK has now named a total of 21 suspects in this case. The four previously detained bribe-givers are Hasanuddin (HAS), a member of the East Java DPRD for the 2024-2029 period; Jodi Pradana Putra (JPP), a private individual from Blitar Regency; Sukar (SUK), a former village head from Tulungagung Regency; and Wawan Kristiawan (WK), a private individual from Tulungagung. The case originated from the earlier arrest of former East Java DPRD Deputy Speaker Sahat Tua Simanjuntak.