Prosecutor's Office Detains Corruption Suspect For Padang-Sicincin Toll Road Compensation

PADANG - The West Sumatra High Prosecutor's Office (West Sumatra) has arrested another suspect in the alleged corruption case in paying compensation for the Padang-Sicincin toll road with the initials SY.

Previously, on Wednesday, December 1, the West Sumatra Prosecutor's Office had previously detained 12 suspects in the same case, while SY was sick at the time.

"Today the investigative team has again detained one suspect, who was questioned at the Prosecutor's Office before being detained," said West Sumatra Prosecutor Intelligence Assistant Mustaqpirin in Padang quoted by Antara, Tuesday, December 7.

He said that after being questioned, suspect SY was immediately taken to the Class II B Padang State Detention Center at around 15.30 western Indonesia time.

With the arrest of SY, all 13 suspects in the alleged corruption case of payment of compensation for toll land have now been detained by the Attorney General's Office.

In addition to SY, the suspects who have been detained are BK, MR, SP, KD, AH, RF, who are a group of residents who receive compensation, and SA who are recipients of compensation as well as village government officials.

Then the other five suspects were SS with a background in the Nagari government apparatus, YW the government apparatus in Padang Pariaman, then J, RN, US from BPN as the land acquisition committee.

Meanwhile, the last suspect detained by the prosecutor, SY, is also known to be a resident who received compensation.

Mustaqpirin explained that the detention of the suspects was carried out in accordance with Article 21 of the Criminal Procedure Code because objective and subjective reasons had been met.

Several points in Article 21 of the Criminal Procedure Code are concerned that the suspect will run away, damage or destroy evidence, and/or repeat the crime.

Mustaqpirin stated that his party was continuing to process and complete the file on the alleged corruption case which was estimated to have cost the state Rp28 billion.

Losses arise because the money for paying compensation for toll land that has been disbursed by the state is claimed against the law by people who are not entitled to receive compensation.

The determination of the suspects was carried out by the West Sumatra High Court on October 29, 2021, they were processed in 11 separate files.

The West Sumatra Attorney General's Office revealed that the case began when there was a Padang-Sicincin toll road construction project in 2020, so the state prepared money as compensation for land affected by development.

One of the affected areas is the Biodiversity Park (Kehati) in Paritmalintang, Padang Pariaman Regency, where compensation is received by each person.

After further investigation by the prosecutor's office, it was found that the Kehati Park was listed as a regional asset and was recorded in the assets of the Padangpariaman Regional Financial Management Agency.

The land was included in the object when Padang Pariaman Regency took care of moving the district capital (IKK) to Parit Malintang in 2007.

Land acquisition in the IKK transfer activity at that time was accompanied by a statement of the release of rights from the land cultivators and compensation was carried out.

The land was then controlled by the Padang Pariaman Regency Government by building the regent's office (2010), urban forest (2011), green open space (2012), official office (2014), including the Kehati Park (2014) based on the Regent's Decree covering an area of 10 hectares.

At that time, the construction and maintenance of the Kehati Park used the Ministry of Environment's Special Allocation Fund (DAK) and the Padang Pariaman Regional Budget.

West Sumatra's Asintel Prosecutor emphasized that the investigation of the current case is purely related to the payment of land compensation, not the physical construction of the toll road project, so that it will not have an impact on the construction of the toll road project, let alone hinder its construction.

"This processing is part of the prosecutor's efforts to support the toll road project as a national strategic project, lest there be irresponsible parties who take personal benefits and harm state finances," he said.