Former Tabanan Regent Suspect Alleged Bribery In DID Management And Immediately Arrested, Udayana University Lecturer Joined In Dragged

Former Tabanan Regent, Ni Putu Eka Wiryastuti in a KPK detention car (Wardhany Tsa Tsia/VOI)

JAKARTA - The former regent of Tabanan, Ni Putu Eka Wiryastuti has officially become a prisoner of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). The detention was carried out after being named a suspect in the alleged bribery of managing the 2018 Tabanan Regency Regional Incentive Fund (DID).

"For the purposes of the investigation process, the investigative team made efforts to forcefully detain the suspects," said KPK Deputy Chair Lili Pintauli Siregar at a press conference at the KPK's Red and White Building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, Thursday, March 24.

Apart from Eka, the anti-corruption commission named a suspect and detained a lecturer at Udayana University (Unud) named I Dewa Nyoman Wiratmaja. The two will then be detained for 20 days until April 12 in a different KPK detention center.

Actually, the Head of the Physical Allocation Fund Section II of the Directorate General of Fiscal Balance, the Ministry of Finance in 2017, Rifa Surya was also named a suspect. However, Rifa has not been detained by the KPK.

Lili explained that the determination and detention of the two as suspects was a development of the case that ensnared the Head of the Division of Funding Development for Housing and Settlements at the Directorate General of Fiscal Balance of the Ministry of Finance, Yaya Purnomo.

The KPK said that this case began when Eka, who was regent for the 2010-2015 and 2016-2021 periods, appointed Nyoman as a special staff in the field of economy and development.

Furthermore, Eka took the initiative to apply for a Regional Incentive Fund from the central government worth Rp65 billion.

"To realize his wish, the suspect NPEW ordered the suspect IDNW to prepare all the administrative completeness of the application for the intended DID submission and meet and communicate with several parties who can smooth the proposal," said Lili.

The parties that Nyoman later met were Yaya Purnomo and Rifa Surya. Both of them are suspected of having the authority and being able to oversee the DID proposal for Tabanan Regency in 2018.

From that meeting, Yaya and Rifa then put forward special conditions. One of them is by asking for a fee or the so-called custom fund which is then passed on to Eka.

Eka, who received the information, agreed to give the fee. "The fee value determined by Yaya Purnomo and the suspect in the hospital is estimated to be 2.5 percent of the allocation of DID funds which will later be obtained by Tabanan Regency," explained Lili.

The money given by Nyoman in Jakarta was carried out in stages in August and December 2017. The money given by Eka through Nyoman reached Rp600 million and US$55,300.

For their actions, Eka and Nyoman as givers were suspected of violating Article 5 paragraph 1 letter a or letter b or Article 13 of Law Number 31 of 1999 as amended by Law Number 20 of 2001 concerning Eradication of Corruption Crimes Jo Article 55 paragraph ( 1) 1st Criminal Code in conjunction with Article 64 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.

Meanwhile, Rifa Surya as the recipient was suspected of violating Article 12 letter a or Article 11 of Law Number 31 of 1999 as amended by Law Number 20 of 2001 concerning Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption in Article 55 paragraph (1) 1st of the Criminal Code Jo Article 64 paragraph (1) Criminal Code.