Kuansing Regent Openly Demanded Land Cruiser from Candidate for Regional Secretary

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has revealed that Kuantan Singingi (Kuansing) Regent Suhardiman Amby allegedly demanded a Toyota Land Cruiser 300 GR-S worth Rp2.05 billion as a condition for candidates seeking the position of Regional Secretary (Sekda) of Kuansing. Acting Director of Investigation at the KPK, Achmad Taufik Husein, stated that the allegation emerged during the investigation into a bribery case involving the buying and selling of positions within the Kuantan Singingi Regency Government, Riau. “In connection with this job auction activity, SA made a demand or a sort of request to the candidate who would occupy the position, namely one unit of a Toyota Land Cruiser 300 GR-S SUV,” Taufik said at the KPK’s Merah Putih Building in Jakarta on Wednesday, 1 July 2026. According to him, the demand was conveyed to candidates for the Kuansing Regional Secretary selection process, which opened in April 2025. Of the two participants who took part in the selection process, only Zulkarnain, who was then serving as Head of the Kuansing Public Works and Spatial Planning (PUPR) Agency, agreed to the demand. “Consequently, in the process, ZKN was selected as the Regional Secretary of Kuansing Regency for the 2025 period,” Taufik stated. After being selected, Zulkarnain allegedly purchased the vehicle from a showroom in the Greater Jakarta area to fulfil Suhardiman’s request. Previously, on 30 June 2026, the KPK conducted a sting operation in Kuantan Singingi and Jakarta, apprehending 10 individuals. The operation was the 14th such operation carried out by the KPK throughout 2026. Of the 10 people detained, five were taken to the KPK’s Merah Putih Building for intensive examination. They comprised three private parties, a civil servant from the Kuantan Singingi Regency Government, and Suhardiman’s wife, Suci Nitia Edwar. The KPK subsequently requested that Suhardiman and Zulkarnain surrender themselves for questioning. Both were later picked up by investigators at Soekarno-Hatta Airport. On 1 July 2026, the KPK named Suhardiman Amby, Zulkarnain, and the President Director of PT Mitra Ideal Consultant, Ardiles, as suspects in the alleged job auction bribery case within the Kuantan Singingi Regency Government.