Why Did Tulungagung Regent Gatut Sunu Risk Corruption by Extorting His Subordinates?

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The Chairman of IM57+ Institute, Lakso Anindito, stated that there are several suspected motives behind Tulungagung Regent Gatut Sunu Wibowo’s audacious corruption by extorting his own subordinates. Lakso said the first motive is that Gatut dared to take the risk of corruption due to strong personal interests. “The first motive is to obtain personal benefits to increase wealth, either through extortion, bribes, or conflicts of interest in procurement,” he told Kompas.com via text message on Monday (13/4/2026). This personal interest motive is none other than to embed his political power more deeply in Tulungagung. The second motive, according to this former KPK investigator, is unresolved issues related to the need for non-budgetary funds, both for political relations such as with the DPRD, as well as shares for law enforcers or auditors. “This puts the regional head in a position of needing significant funds to perpetuate his power,” he said. Tulungagung Regent Gatut Sunu Wibowo has come under scrutiny after being caught in a Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) sting operation (OTT) on Friday (10/4/2026). The modus operandi used by Gatut is intriguing, namely threatening the heads of regional device organisations (OPD) with undated resignation letters. “Indeed, this is frankly new for us as well; we’ve just discovered this. From the start, it was locked in. First, he would try to save himself with an absolute responsibility letter, and second, to control these people to follow what he does, what he wants. Well, he is controlled with resignation letters as OPD heads,” said Asep at the Merah Putih Building, Jakarta, on Saturday (11/4/2026).