KPK Reveals Alleged Extortion Scheme by Sukoharjo Regent

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has revealed the construction of an extortion case allegedly carried out by Sukoharjo Regent Etik Suryani (ETS) against her subordinates, leading to her arrest in a sting operation on Thursday (9/7). KPK Deputy for Enforcement and Execution, Asep Guntur Rahayu, presented the chronology during a press conference at the KPK’s Merah Putih Building on Saturday (11/7). He stated that the case originated from a public complaint within the Sukoharjo Regency Government, which was then followed up by the anti-corruption body. “Sister ETS, as Regent of Sukoharjo for the 2021-2025 and 2025-2030 periods, issued a Regent Decree concerning the Receipt and Amount of Incentive Payments for Regional Tax Collection and a Regent Decree concerning the Recipients and Amount of Incentive Payments for Regional Levy Collection at the Regional Financial, Revenue and Asset Management Agency (BPKAD) of Sukoharjo Regency for the Year 2026,” Asep said. Asep then stated: “These two Regent Decrees were allegedly used as a tool by ETS to carry out extortion of ‘Collection Fee Payments’ within the Sukoharjo BPKAD.” Etik then asked the Head of Sukoharjo Regency’s BPKAD, Richard Tri Handoko, to collect approximately 40 percent of the incentives received by a number of employees at the BPKAD. Asep explained that Etik’s request allegedly continued a tradition set by the previous regent, who is also Etik’s husband, Wardoyo Wijaya. Wardoyo served as Regent of Sukoharjo from 2010 to 2015 and again from 2016 to 2021. “With the coded orders ‘is there an additional collection fee?’; ‘you came here without paying’; ‘make it the same as father’,” Asep revealed. “The meaning is that the amount of money deposited should match the deposits made during the previous regent’s term,” he continued. During his tenure, Wardoyo also instructed officials with the phrase ‘you’ve been inaugurated, don’t just stay silent,’ which referred to payments from employees to the regent at the time. Returning to Etik’s case, the Head of BPKAD, Richard Tri Handoko, allegedly ordered third-echelon officials within the agency to deposit the deducted collection fees to the BPKAD Secretary, Nardi, from 2021 to 2026, under the regent’s orders. Once collected, the money was then handed over to Etik. Over those five years, the total collection fees received by Etik reached IDR 2.93 billion. “Furthermore, ETS also allegedly ordered Mr. TRM [Tri Mulyo], the Head of General Affairs at the Sukoharjo Regional Secretariat, to manage ‘Routine OPD Deposits’,” Asep said. He further stated that the amount requested also allegedly continued a legacy from the previous regent. During Wardoyo’s administration, he also requested deposits from General Affairs staff, with the order ‘find 500 million for the end of the year’. “On ETS’s orders, TRM collected deposits from various OPDs annually and during the holiday bonus period,” Asep stated. In addition, Tri Mulyo allegedly provided deposits originating from fictitious expenditures and procurement mark-ups within the General Affairs division of the Sukoharjo Regency Government. However, this information will be further investigated by KPK officials. During the 2024-2026 period, the total amount received by Etik from the ‘routine OPD deposits’ collected by Tri Mulyo was IDR 840 million. In detail, it was IDR 245 million in 2024, IDR 350 million in 2025, and IDR 245 million in 2026. Meanwhile, the money collected by Richard Tri Handoko from 2022 to 2024 from these OPD deposits reached IDR 1.2 billion. “ETS used these receipts for personal interests,” Asep said.