Five Students Return The State Loss Of Rp39 Million Scholarship Program

Head of Public Relations of the Aceh Police, Kombes Pol. Winardy. ANTARA/M Haris SA

ACEH - The Aceh Regional Police (Polda) stated that five students who received the Aceh Government's scholarship program for the 2017 Fiscal Year had returned a state loss of Rp39 million.

The Head of Public Relations of the Aceh Police, Kombes Winardy, said that the state money was returned to the post established by the Special Criminal Investigation Directorate of the Aceh Police.

"There were five students who returned the state losses in the amount of more than Rp. 39 million. They returned them because they did not meet the requirements as recipients of the education fund assistance program," he said as quoted by Antara in Banda Aceh, Wednesday, March 2.

With the five students who returned the loss to the state, he said, 54 students had already returned the scholarship money they had previously received.

Meanwhile, the state money saved from the alleged corruption of the scholarship, he said, reached Rp.713.49 million. The Regional Police still provides opportunities for students who receive scholarships, but do not meet the requirements to immediately return them.

Previously, investigators from the Special Criminal Investigation Directorate of the Aceh Police investigated the alleged corruption of the Aceh Government Scholarship for the 2017 Fiscal Year with a value of Rp. 22.3 billion.

The scholarship budget is placed in the Human Resources Development Agency (BPSDM) of Aceh Province. The scholarships were distributed to 803 recipients.

Based on the results of the investigation, there are 400 students who have the potential to be suspects because they received scholarships, but did not meet the requirements as recipients. They found out that he did not qualify as a scholarship recipient.

He said the handling of the alleged corruption case was continuing and now investigators have named seven suspects after the case was filed.

However, he said, the Aceh Police gave the opportunity to hundreds of recipients who did not meet the requirements to return the scholarship money they received to the regional treasury.

"Investigators prefer to return state losses rather than punish scholarship recipients who do not meet these requirements," he said.

He said the Aceh Police had issued an appeal to scholarship recipients who were not entitled to immediately return the money to the state treasury.

As a follow-up to the appeal, he said, the Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation at the Aceh Police opened a post for refunding scholarships.

"We appreciate those who have returned the scholarship money because they are cooperative and uphold the advice of the Aceh Police. Those who have not returned are advised to immediately visit the Aceh Police Ditreskrimsus Command Post," he said.