Police Extorting And Accepting Bribes For PUPR Project In South Sumatra Charged With Layered Articles

Online trial of extortionists and bribe takers in South Sumatra/Photo: Antara

PALEMBANG - The General Prosecutor (JPU) of the Attorney General's Office has indicted a mid-level police officer who is suspected of extorting and receiving gratuities in the 2019 Musi Banyuasin Regency PUPR infrastructure development project with multiple articles.

The defendant is AKPB Dalizon, Chief of Police Resort (non-active) Ogan Komering Ulu Timur, who listened to the reading of the indictment at the online trial at the Palembang District Court, Friday 10 June.

Attorney General's Office Ichwan Siregar in reading the indictment before a panel of judges chaired by Judge Mangapul Manalu ensnared the defendant AKBP Dalizon with Article 12e or 12B of Law Number 31 of 2001 or Article 5 paragraph (2) Juncto Article 5 paragraph (1) letter a Law Number 31 of 2001 concerning Corruption Crimes.

Then, in the prosecutor's indictment, the defendant was also mentioned as violating Article 5 points 4 and 6 of Law Number 28 of 1999 concerning State Administration that is Clean and Free from Corruption, Collusion and Nepotism, Article 4 letters b, c and d of Government Regulation Number 2 of 2003 concerning Disciplinary Regulations for Members of the Indonesian Police.

Furthermore, Article 7, Article 9A Number 6 of 2019 concerning Criminal Investigations, Article 7, Article 9, Article 13, Article 14 and Article 15 of the Regulation of the Chief of Police Number 14 of 2011 concerning the Code of Ethics of the Indonesian Police Profession. According to the Public Prosecutor, the article is alleged to have been to the defendant for allegedly forcing Herman Mayori, former Head of the PUPR Office, Musi Banyuasin, to give a 5 percent allotment of money for a project that is being investigated by Sub Directorate 3 Tipidkor Ditreskimsus Polda South Sumatra, which at that time was led by defendant Dalizon.

Then, the defendant also asked for a ration of 1 percent for security so that no other law enforcement officers attempted to investigate allegations of corruption in all projects carried out at the Musi Banyuasin PUPR Office in 2019.

"The defendant Dalizon without rights forced Herman Mayori to give the 5 percent and another 1 percent.

The defendant's request was finally fulfilled, by giving Rp10 billion in money which was delivered by a staff member of the PUPR Service, Musi Banyuasin, to the defendant's house in Palembang. After that, the person concerned ordered the members of the Tipidkor Sub-Directorate 3 to stop the investigation process without going through the case process.

"Of the Rp. 10 billion, Rp. 4,750 billion was given by the defendant to his US partner in stages. Then Rp 5.250 billion was used by the defendant to buy a house worth Rp 1.5 billion, trade in a car for Rp 300 million, buy 1 unit of a Honda Civic sedan for Rp 400 million, including savings and a deposit account for the defendant's wife worth Rp 1.4 billion," he said. All of the prosecutor's charges still need to be proven in the next trial.

Meanwhile, the defendant Dalizon, through his legal advisor, expressed his objection to the indictment of the Attorney General's Office in the trial so that he decided to file an exception in the next trial.

The panel of judges finally closed the trial and will reopen it on Friday (17/6) next week at the Palembang District Court with the agenda of hearing the defendant's exception.