KPK Detains Unsoed Rector as Suspect in Student Admission Extortion Case
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has detained the Rector of Jenderal Soedirman University (Unsoed), Akhmad Sodiq, and Vice Rector III of Unsoed, Norman Arie Prayoga, for an initial period of 20 days.
The detention is linked to the investigation into alleged extortion related to new student admissions at Unsoed and the acceptance of gratuities.
“The KPK has subsequently detained the suspects for the first 20 days from 21 August to 9 September 2026. The detention is being carried out at the KPK’s Merah Putih Building branch of the State Detention Centre,” said Acting Director of Investigations at the KPK, Achmad Taufik Husein, during a press conference at the Merah Putih Building in Jakarta on Friday evening (21/8).
Detention for the same period was also imposed on four other suspects, namely the Head of the Academic Section at Unsoed, Eko Sumanto, and three private individuals named Dian Mulia Wardhana, Adhi Wiharto, and Mulyono.
This legal process follows a sting operation in Purwokerto and Jakarta as well as intensive examinations conducted since Thursday (20/8).
Taufik explained that the independent selection route at Unsoed is an admission pathway opened and managed independently by the university.
In this admission process, prospective students are charged varying Single Tuition Fees and Institutional Development Contributions, according to their respective categories.
For example, at the Faculty of Medicine, the tuition fee range starts from Rp7.1 million up to Rp17 million.
Meanwhile, the institutional development contribution range at the Faculty of Medicine starts from Rp100 million to Rp260 million.
“However, in the process of admitting new students through this independent route, the KPK found alleged criminal acts of corruption in the form of extortion and other receipts or gratuities,” said Taufik.
“As a result, the additional costs arising from these levies, beyond the fees that are required to be paid, were felt to be very burdensome for prospective new students,” he continued.
For their actions, the six suspects are charged with violating Article 12 letter e or Article 12 B of the Corruption Eradication Law in conjunction with Article 20 letter c of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code.
In the sting operation in the Purwokerto and Jakarta areas on Thursday (20/8) in Central Java, the KPK arrested 14 people.
Twelve people were arrested in Purwokerto and two others in Jakarta.
The two people arrested in Jakarta, including the Unsoed Rector, were immediately subjected to intensive questioning at the KPK’s Merah Putih Building.
Meanwhile, the 12 people arrested in Purwokerto underwent initial examination at the Banyumas Police headquarters. Seven of them were then taken to Jakarta for further questioning.
In the covert operation, the KPK found and seized evidence in the form of cash amounting to approximately Rp665 million and a bank account balance of Rp99 million.
The KPK expressed regret over the alleged corruption in the education sector because it can have a significant impact on the instilling of values and character. Moreover, the alleged corruption occurred during the initial stage of student admissions.
“In this case, the KPK sees a power relation that is suspected to have been abused by a number of parties. Authority that should have been used to carry out an objective and compliant new student admission process was instead exploited to determine certain tariffs or rewards,” added KPK Spokesperson Budi Prasetyo.
“This certainly has a domino effect, not only injuring the principle of fairness but also damaging trust in educational institutions,” Budi continued.