Jakarta. Indonesia’s anti-graft agency has named the mayor of Madiun and the regent of Pati as corruption suspects in two unrelated cases, officials said late on Tuesday.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) named Madiun Mayor Maidi, who is serving his second term, a suspect on allegations of receiving bribes from a private contractor that won construction projects in the East Java city.

Maidi was arrested a day earlier on suspicion of accepting payments disguised as corporate social responsibility funds for Madiun, KPK Deputy for Enforcement Asep Guntur Rahayu told reporters in Jakarta.

In the same case, the KPK also detained Rochim Ruhdiyanto, described as a close associate of Maidi, and Thariq Megah, head of Madiun’s Public Works Agency. All three have been named suspects. Investigators seized Rp 500 million ($31,000) in cash during the operation.

“The suspects have been placed in KPK detention facilities for 20 days,” Asep said.

Speaking briefly to reporters at KPK headquarters, Maidi denied the allegations, saying his actions were aimed solely at improving the welfare of Madiun residents.

Unpopular Regent
Separately, the KPK also detained Pati Regent Sudewo in a long-running extortion and corruption investigation.

Sudewo, who previously sparked public protests in Pati Regency, Central Java, after sharply increasing land and building taxes, is accused of involvement in corruption linked to a railway infrastructure project in the province when he was still serving as a member of the House of Representatives.

In that case, investigators had earlier seized around Rp 3 billion in cash from Sudewo’s residence as evidence. He was questioned as a witness in September 2025 before being named a suspect on Tuesday.

The railway project corruption case was tried in Semarang in 2023, with former Central Java Railway Engineering Division head Putu Sumarjaya and his subordinate Bernard Hasibuan named as suspects at the time.

In addition, acting in his capacity as regent, Sudewo is accused of extorting prospective village officials, allegedly charging fees of up to Rp 225 million per applicant. In this case, the KPK seized Rp 2.3 billion and named three village heads — Abdul Suyono, Sumarjiono, and Karjan — as suspects.

Pati Regency consists of 21 districts and 401 villages, with roughly 600 village government positions to be filled.

According to KPK investigators, plans to collect fees from village job applicants were discussed as early as November 2025. Sudewo is alleged to have involved members of his former campaign team in organizing the collection mechanism.

In each district, a village head aligned with Sudewo’s campaign was appointed as a coordinator, known as “Team 8,” Asep said.

From the start of the scheme until Jan. 18, 2026, investigators estimate that Sudewo’s network collected around Rp 2.6 billion from just eight village heads in a single district.

Asep said the village extortion case became the “entry point” for the KPK to formally name Sudewo as a suspect in the long-running railway corruption probe, which has been under investigation for nearly three years.

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