KPK Arrests Two Active Regents in One Week for Bribery
In less than a week, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has apprehended two active regents. Both Kuantan Singingi Regent Suhadirman Amby and Langkat Regent Syah Afandin were caught in identical cases of bribery.
KPK arrested Suhadirman Amby in a sting operation early this week. Suhadirman had assumed the regent position after replacing his predecessor, Andi Putra, who was also caught in a sting operation in October 2021. Rather than learning from the past, Suhadirman has now become entangled in a corruption case himself.
Investigations revealed that in 2021, while serving as Acting Regent of Kuantan Singingi, Suhadirman accepted a bribe in the form of a Pajero Sport. Later, as Regent, he allegedly received a Land Cruiser as a bribe from Kuantan Singingi Regional Secretary Zulkarnain to secure the position of Head of the Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency.
“This is not the first time ZKN (Zulkarnain) has done this. When he was a department head, he also gave something to SA, who was then the Acting Regent,” said KPK Acting Director of Investigations Achmad Taufik Husein during a press conference at the KPK building in South Jakarta on Wednesday.
Zulkarnain had previously purchased a Pajero Sport worth Rp 700 million on credit to secure the position of Head of the Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency. The purchase was facilitated by a private party, Ardiles, the Director of PT Mitra Ideal Consultant.
In 2026, Suhadirman allegedly accepted a bribe of a Toyota Land Cruiser worth Rp 2 billion to select Zulkarnain as the Regional Secretary of Kuantan Singingi. The KPK stated the case began in April 2025, when there were two candidates for the position: Fahdiansyah, an Assistant in the Kuantan Singingi Regency Government, and Zulkarnain, the Head of the Public Works and Spatial Planning Agency.
“SA, as the Regent of Kuantan Singingi for the 2025-2030 period, then ‘requested’ a Toyota Land Cruiser 300 GR-S SUV from the candidates participating in the selection process for the Regional Secretary position,” Achmad Taufik stated.
Only Zulkarnain agreed to the demand and was subsequently selected as Regional Secretary. To fulfil the request, Zulkarnain purchased a Toyota Land Cruiser 300 GR-S worth Rp 2.05 billion at a showroom in the Greater Jakarta area. The purchase was made on credit with instalments of Rp 46.5 million per month over a five-year tenor. The KPK noted that Zulkarnain’s profile did not meet the requirements for the credit application, so he used the identity of Ardiles, the Director of PT Mitra Ideal Consultant, for the process.
Zulkarnain and Ardiles, as the bribe givers, are charged under Article 605 or Article 606 paragraph (1) of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code. Meanwhile, Suhadirman Amby, as the bribe recipient, is suspected of violating Article 12 letter a or letter b and/or Article 12 B of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption.
The KPK’s actions did not stop with Suhadirman’s case. The commission conducted another sting operation, this time catching Langkat Regent Syah Afandin. The KPK stated this operation was related to a bribery case involving projects at the Langkat Regency Education Agency and the Housing and Settlement Areas Agency.
During the operation, the KPK seized bribe money allegedly intended for Regent Syah from a private party. The commission is still investigating other suspected bribes or gratuities received by Regent Syah Afandin.
“It is suspected that the money secured in the caught-red-handed incident is related to project fees within the Education Agency or the Housing and Settlement Areas Agency,” an official stated, adding that investigators would also probe whether there were other receipts or gratuities by the regent or state officials in the Langkat area.
A total of seven people were detained in the case, and Syah has been brought to the KPK building in Jakarta for intensive examination.