Langkat Regent Allegedly Received IDR 3.5 Billion in Gratuities for School Appointments and Uniform Procurement

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) suspects Langkat Regent Syah Afandin, also known as Ondim, of receiving gratuities totalling approximately IDR 3.5 billion. The alleged illicit funds are connected to the appointment of primary and junior high school principals, the procurement of primary school uniforms, and the filling of positions within the district’s education office and sub-district leadership.

Acting KPK Director of Investigation Achmad Taufik Husein stated that the alleged gratuities could have a detrimental impact on the future of children’s education. “When the position of school principal is traded, what is at stake is not only governance but also the future of children’s education,” Taufik said at the KPK’s headquarters in Jakarta.

He added that the situation had caused unrest among the state civil apparatus within the Langkat Regency Government. The KPK previously conducted a sting operation in Langkat, Binjai, and Medan, North Sumatra, on 2 July 2026, arresting Ondim, a local civil servant, and five private individuals. The following day, the KPK named Ondim and his former campaign team member from the 2024 regional election, Yaqub Abdhal Al Mu’arif, as suspects in a bribery case involving projects within the Langkat Regency Government for the 2025-2026 period. Ondim is suspected of receiving IDR 800 million in bribes from Yaqub, part of a total agreed sum of IDR 1.117 billion, after Yaqub secured 80 projects in the Education Office and five projects in the Housing and Settlement Area Office during 2025.