Commitment Fee Of IDR 250 Million Delivers East Kolaka Regent Andi Merya To KPK Detention Center

JAKARTA - East Kolaka Regent Andi Merya Nur and East Kolaka BPBD Head Anzarullah are now officially wearing orange vests for prisoners from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). They were both named suspects on suspicion of bribery in infrastructure procurement originating from a grant from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB).

This determination was made after the KPK carried out a hand arrest operation (OTT) on Tuesday, September 21, which was the result of a public report.

"KPK has upgraded the status of this case to the investigation stage by announcing the following suspects: AMN (Andi Merya Nur) East Kolaka Regent for the period 2021-2026 and AZR (Anzarullah) Head of East Kolaka BPBD," Deputy Chair Nurul Ghufron said in a press conference broadcast on YouTube. KPK RI, Wednesday, September 22.

After wearing the orange vests, the two will be detained for the next 20 days until October 11 in different prisons. Andi Merya is being held at the KPK Rutan, the Red and White Building Branch, while Anzarullah is being held at the KPK Rutan Kavling C1.

Ghufron then explained that the silent operation that caught the two together with four aide to the regent - who was later released - began when the KPK received information that a sum of money had been received from state officials. The money, he continued, had been prepared by Anzarullah.

Not only that, the anti-corruption commission also monitored Anzarullah's conversation with Andi Merya's aide to ask for a meeting. The meeting, continued Ghufron, was held at the Regent's official residence.

During the meeting, Anzarullah brought money amounting to Rp. 225 million which will be handed over soon. However, because there was an official meeting, Andi Merya asked that the money be handed over through his aide at his private house in Kendari.

However, this desire was quickly sniffed by the KPK so that the arrests were made. Apart from Andi Merya and Anzarullah, the enforcement team also brought four aides.

In this operation, the KPK also found evidence in the form of money amounting to Rp. 225 million which was later secured as evidence.

"All parties who were arrested were then taken to the Southeast Sulawesi Regional Police for inquiries and then taken to the Red and White KPK Building for further investigation," said Ghufron.

Then how is the construction of this alleged bribery case?

Ghufron explained that this case began when last March to August, Andi Merya and Anzarullah prepared a proposal for BNPB grants in the form of rehabilitation and reconstruction funds as well as ready-to-use funds.

"Then in early September 2021, AMN and AZR came to the Central BNPB in Jakarta to deliver a presentation related to the application for logistics & equipment grants, where the East Kolaka Regency Government received BNPB grants, namely Relocation and Reconstruction Grants worth Rp. 26.9 billion and Ready-to-Use Funds Grants. worth IDR 12.1 billion," said Ghufron.

Furthermore, Anzarullah asked Andi Merya so that the project whose funds came from the BNPB grant was carried out by trusted people and other parties who assisted in the disbursement process.

There were two projects that Anzarullah had asked him to do. The project is a package of spending on consulting services for planning a bridge work for 2 units in Ueesi Sub-district worth Rp. 714 million and planning for consulting services for the construction of 100 housing units in Uluiwoi Sub-district worth Rp. 175 million.

On the request, Andi Merya agreed and Anzarullah will provide a fee of 30 percent. "Furthermore, AMN ordered AZR to coordinate directly with Dewa Made Ratmawan, the Head of the ULP Division to process the consultant's auction planning work and upload it to LPSE so that the company owned by AZR and/or the AZR group was won and appointed as a consultant to plan the work of the 2 projects in question," explained Ghufron.

Next, Andi Merya also asked for Rp250 million for the two projects and Anzarullah handed over Rp25 million first. "Meanwhile, the remaining Rp225 million agreed to be handed over to AMN's private house," he said.

Andi Merya and Anzarullah will certainly not be charged with Article 2 Paragraph 2 of the Anti-Corruption Law concerning the death penalty for perpetrators of riots related to disasters. The KPK reasoned that this article could not be applied because the alleged corruption that originated from the OTT was related to bribes to win infrastructure development projects.

"What we caught was when we were giving gifts or promises of goods in the form of Rp. 250 million in two stages, namely Rp. 25 million and Rp.

He explained that Andi received bribes from the Head of BPBD Kolaka Timur, Anzarullah so that his company would receive two projects from a grant from the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB). However, both of them were caught in a hand arrest operation (OTT) during the selection process.

On that basis Andi and Anzarullah were freed from the death penalty. Ghufron said that if the two actions had resulted in the validation of the winner, the use of Article 2 paragraph 2 of the Anti-Corruption Law could be used.

"Unless the process of determining the consultant has already taken place, and then there is a violation of the law because this bribery can only be entered into Article 2 paragraph 2. However, this is ongoing," said Ghufron.

Even so, Ghufron did not rule out the possibility of using the death penalty for both of them during the investigation of the case later. The KPK, he said, ensured that it would not indiscriminately investigate this corruption allegation.

"Will it be possible to proceed to Article 2 paragraph 2, of course we will still process it further? This is a bribe for the ongoing winning process, it has not been completed," he concluded.