The emergence of black stains in Subang first emerged when regent Eep Hidayat was accused of corruption.
By
CORNELIUS HELMY
·3 minutes read
On Tuesday night, the eve of Valentine\'s Day, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) conducted a raid in Subang regency, West Java. Subang Regent Imas Aryumningsih was one of the targets of the operation.
Imas was believed to be involved in corruption which was harmful to the state finances. There is the possibility that the money was to be used as capital for the simultaneous regional elections in Subang in 2018. Paired with Sutarno, Imas is supported by the Golkar Party and the National Awakening Party (PKB).
This case is like an episode from an endless story with regard to ongoing corruption in Subang, which is about 130 kilometers from Jakarta. For at least the last 12 years, corruption has become like a vicious pest undermining one of the national rice barns.
The emergence of black stains in Subang first emerged when regent Eep Hidayat was accused of corruption for allegedly misappropriating funds from Land and Building Tax Collection Expenses in the 2005-2008 budget. The state was estimated to have suffered up to Rp 14 billion in losses.
This case sparked a variety of controversies. One of them was the not guilty verdict at the Bandung Corruption Court on August 22, 2011, which led a number of civil servants in Subang to hold a pro-Eep action.
Eep was inaugurated in 2008 with his deputy, Ojang Sohandi. Eep\'s adventure ended when he was convicted by the Supreme Court with a four-year prison sentence in 2012.
Ojang filled the vacancy of the regent\'s position. He even served as the regent of Subang in the 2013-2018 period after winning the regional election. At that time, Ojang was paired with Imas. In the hands of Ojang, Subang once had hope. Only 38 years old, he was expected to make various breakthroughs. However, this disappeared too.
In a trial at the Bandung Corruption Court in 2017, Ojang was proven to have abused his authority when he became acting Subang regent (2011-2012) and Subang regent (2013-2016). He carried out money-laundering amounting to Rp 60.3 billion.
When Ojang was prosecuted, Imas was promoted. This Golkar member became the regent in 2016. This year, Imas is running again to lead Subang in the 2018-2023 period. However, several hours after receiving the serial number as a regional election participant, the KPK arrested her.
Imas has become the third regional leader in West Java to have allegedly been caught for corruption in the last two years, after Tasiya Soemadi (deputy regent of Cirebon) and Atty Suharti (mayor of Cimahi).
The bleak news of Imas is clearly an ironic allegory in the rice barn. The ghost of corruption is as malignant as rats and aphids, which have been widespread in Subang for the past 12 years.