Revealed: Rp 500 Million 'Good Relations' Money in Muara Enim Regent Case
Muara Enim Regent Edison has been named a suspect in a suspected bribery case involving smart board procurement at the Muara Enim Regency Education and Culture Agency. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) revealed a Rp 500 million payment from a private party intended to ‘maintain good relations’.
The regent was named a suspect following a sting operation by the KPK on Sunday evening (7 June). The KPK subsequently held a case review and named four individuals as suspects. They are:
Muara Enim Regent – Edison
2026 Education and Culture Agency Secretary – Abi Nurwardani
The Regent’s nephew – Adi Triyadi
PT Millenium Solusi Abadi Marketing – Cory Erin Hardi
KPK Director of Investigations Achmad Taufik Husein, during a press conference at the KPK’s Merah Putih building in Kuningan, South Jakarta, on Tuesday (9 June 2026), stated that Edison, Abi, and Adi were charged under Article 12 letter a and/or Article 12 letter b and/or Article 12B of Law Number 31 of 1999 on the Eradication of Corruption.
Meanwhile, Cory, as a private party, was charged under Article 605 letter a and/or Article 605 letter b of Law Number 1 of 2026. The KPK detained the suspects for an initial 20 days from 9 to 28 June 2026 at the KPK Merah Putih Branch Detention Centre.
Taufik disclosed that the money to maintain good relations came from the private sector to the Muara Enim Regency Government. It began when Education Agency Secretary Abi met with Cory Erin Hardi, a marketing representative of PT Millenium Solusi Abadi, at a hotel.
‘On Saturday, 6 June 2026, Abi, as Secretary of the Muara Enim Education and Culture Agency, met with Cory, a marketing representative of PT MSA, at a hotel in Jakarta. PT MSA is a smart board supplier to PT MIT, which secured a procurement project at the Muara Enim Education and Culture Agency for the 2025 fiscal year,’ Taufik stated.
During the meeting, Cory handed over Rp 500 million in cash to Abi. The money was reportedly intended to ‘maintain relations’ so that cooperation with the Muara Enim Regency Government could continue smoothly.
‘Abi, as Secretary of the Education and Culture Agency, received Rp 500 million in cash from Cory. This receipt from the private sector was allegedly related to previous procurements,’ Taufik said. ‘Additionally, behind this payment lay the intention for the private party to maintain good future relations with the regional government, so they could be favoured again in subsequent regional projects.’
Furthermore, in this procurement bribery case, Regent Edison allegedly received a 5 per cent cut from monies received through holding accounts. Edison is suspected of frequently receiving payments from other business partners through Abi. The bribery is also suspected to have occurred beyond just the Education Agency.
‘In addition to this money receipt, Abi, on the instruction of Edison as Regent of Muara Enim for the 2025–2030 period, also allegedly received payments from business partners within the Muara Enim Regency Government, suspected not only within the Education Agency,’ Taufik said.
To disguise the flow of funds from business partners, the parties allegedly used nominee accounts opened and closed strategically, or cash payments. ‘On these nominee accounts, Abi acted as the controller. Abi is suspected of distributing the money flow with a specific percentage breakdown: 5 per cent for the regent, 3 per cent for the agency head, and 1 per cent for the budget officer and treasurer,’ he stated.
Withdrawal of Edison’s ‘cut’ was allegedly carried out by his nephew. Edison’s nephew, Adi Triyadi, was also named a suspect by the KPK.
‘In the 2025–2026 period, the delivery of money to Edison was conducted via cash withdrawals from nominee accounts through an individual named RDS to Adi, who served as Edison’s confidant and relative. The money received was used for Edison’s personal needs,’ he explained.