Three East Sumba KPU Officials Were Named Suspects In Election Budget Corruption Case, Causing State To Lose IDR 3.79 Billion

KUPANG – The East Sumba District Attorney's Office, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), has demonstrated a firm stance in cleaning up corrupt practices within state institutions by naming three officials from the East Sumba Regency General Elections Commission (KPU) as suspects in an alleged budget misappropriation case for the 2024 East Sumba Regional Head Election (Pilkada). All three were immediately imprisoned.

The Head of the Information and Legal Section of the NTT High Prosecutor's Office, A.A. Raka Putra Dharmana, confirmed the suspect status in Kupang on Wednesday (November 5, 2025), explaining that the indictment took place on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, in East Sumba.

"The suspect determination was carried out on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, in East Sumba," he said, as quoted by ANTARA, November 5, 2025.

The three figures currently wearing prisoner vests are SBD, Secretary of the East Sumba General Elections Commission (KPU), SL, Commitment Making Officer (PPK), and SR, Treasurer of the East Sumba KPU. The determination of suspect status was based on a series of strong pieces of evidence, including statements from 30 witnesses and two experts, as well as various documents corroborating the unlawful act, which, according to Raka, fulfilled the elements of Article 184 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

After being named as suspects, the three were immediately detained for the next 20 days and placed in the Class II A Waingapu Penitentiary for investigation purposes, with the possibility of their detention being extended as needed.

"This fulfills the elements of Article 184 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code as the basis for suspect determination," he said.

The three suspects are suspected of colluding to misappropriate the 2024 East Sumba Pilkada budget, with a modus operandi that included budget waste, financial report manipulation, and mark-up (inflation) of activity grant expenditures, resulting in state losses of IDR 3.79 billion.

For their actions, the suspects were charged with multiple articles: Primary Article 2 paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 18 paragraph (1) letter b of Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 31 of 1999 as amended by Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 20 of 2001 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) point 1 of the Criminal Code; Subsidiary Article 3 paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 18 paragraph (1) letter b of the Corruption Law in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) point 1 of the Criminal Code; and Subsidiary Article 9 in conjunction with Article 18 paragraph (1) letter b of the Corruption Law in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) point 1 of the Criminal Code. The naming of these corruption suspects is a strong signal that the Prosecutor's Office is committed to eradicating corrupt practices, especially those that affect the budget for the people's democratic party.