Rahudman Harahap

Rahudman Harahap (born 21 January 1959) is an Indonesian politician and civil servant who served as the mayor of Medan, North Sumatra, between 2009 and 2013. Prior to becoming mayor, he had worked as a civil servant within local governments in North Sumatra for nearly 30 years. His tenure as mayor was cut short due to his involvement in a corruption case, and he was imprisoned until 2021.

Early life and education
Harahap was born in the village of Gunung Tua, within Padang Lawas Regency of North Sumatra, on 21 January 1959. He completed his basic education in Padang Sidempuan by 1977, before going to Jakarta to study at the Institute of Home Affairs Governance and graduating in 1989. Later on, he would also obtain a master's degree from the North Sumatra Islamic University.

Career
By 1981, Harahap had passed the civil servant examination. After graduating from Jakarta, he was appointed district secretary in of West Siantar within Pematangsiantar, becoming the district chief by 1990. He was promoted to head the markets bureau by 1997 within the city, and then he moved to South Tapanuli Regency as head of the regency's revenues department. He also served as the regional secretary for Central Tapanuli Regency, before moving to the provincial government in the late 2000s.

Mayor of Medan
On 22 July 2009, Harahap was appointed as the acting mayor of Medan to replace Afifuddin Lubis. The following year, Harahap ran as mayor of Medan, as one of ten candidates in the race and Dzulmi Eldin as his running mate. None of the ten candidates won over 30 per cent of votes, with Harahap and Dzulmi winning 21.2% of votes and advancing to runoffs. Harahap would win the runoff with 65.88% of votes. He was sworn in as mayor on 26 July 2010. During Harahap's tenure, he enforced regulations on the ban of animal husbandry within city limits and aquaculture ponds on the city's shoreline. The ban on animal husbandry in particular involved crackdowns on pig farms in the city, but after the crackdown faced significant local opposition, it was shelved.

In April 2013, Harahap was investigated for a corruption case dating to his time as regional secretary in Central Tapanuli. His position as mayor was nonactivated by Minister of Home Affairs Gamawan Fauzi on 10 May 2013. Harahap was sentenced to five years' prison for the case in 2014. While still in prison, Harahap was further sentenced to ten years prison in 2017 for the transfer of PT KAI-owned land in Medan during his tenure as mayor.

Post release
Harahap was released by order of the Supreme Court of Indonesia on 27 May 2021 following a judicial review of the KAI case, which found that while Harahap's allegations were proven, the allegations were not covered under criminal law and was a civil offence. After his release, Harahap joined the Nasdem Party. He has also hosted podcasts, and unsuccessfully ran for a seat in the House of Representatives representing North Sumatra's 1st district in the 2024 Indonesian general election.

Personal life
Harahap is married to Yusra Siregar and the couple has four children.