NTB Prosecutor's Office Sets 2 Suspects For Corruption KUR Farmers In Lombok

The Head of the Prosecutor's Office for NTB Sungarpin. (ANTARA/Dhimas BP)

MATARAM - Head of the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) High Prosecutor's Office, Sungarpin, stated that investigators have named two suspects in the alleged corruption case in distributing people's business credit (KUR) funds to the farming community in Central Lombok and East Lombok.

"Yes, the two (prospective suspects) yesterday are already suspects," said Sungarpin in Mataram, as reported by ANTARA, Monday, August 1.

Currently, investigators are still continuing their development to track down other potential suspects.

"For other candidates (suspects), we will see again from the development (of the investigation)," he said.

The two suspects previously named by Sungarpin as candidates, had the initials AM and IR. Regarding the roles of the two suspects, Kajati did not explain in detail.

"That's the secret of investigators, later," he said.

According to Sungarpin, his party is still waiting for the results of the state loss audit from the NTB Representative Finance and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP).

Although there are no results yet, Sungarpin has provided an overview of the potential state losses that arise based on the prosecutor's independent calculations of at least Rp29.95 billion.

The mode of potential loss arises from those who receive part of it, some are fictitious, some are received in the form of agricultural tools, but not according to function.

In this series of investigations, his party has examined the relevant parties, including the management of the Indonesian Farmers Association (HKTI) NTB. Finally present, the Chairman of the NTB HKTI who is now the Deputy Regent of East Lombok, Rumaksi.

HKTI in this program of distributing funds for farming communities has the task of recommending as well as verifying farmer groups that deserve assistance.

Apart from the HKTI, the witnesses who have appeared before the investigators are the banks that facilitate the process of distributing aid in the form of funds. The bank is one of the state-owned enterprises (BUMN) with a branch office in Mataram.

Another witness was from CV ABB, a company that provided assistance to recipients from among farmer groups in managing the aid funds.

Then from the recipient farmers, 160 were asked for information from a total of 789 farmers.

The KUR assistance program for farming communities in two districts on the island of Lombok will run in 2020. The assistance is distributed by the Ministry of Agriculture through one of the state-owned banks.

Farmers in the East Lombok region who received proposals to enter as recipients of KUR funds came from corn farmers. Each farmer gets a cash loan of IDR 15 million for land area per hectare.

Then for Central Lombok Regency, the recipients come from tobacco farmers. Each farmer gets loan funds in the amount of Rp. 30 million to Rp. 50 million.

With such data collection, the farmers who are registered in the proposed data for KUR recipients are required to undergo a loan administration process. A number of signed files.

In the process, the role of a third party involved, namely CV ABB and HKTI NTB. They act as government partners in the process of collecting data on farmers and managing KUR funds.

For the administrative purposes of corn farmers, they run the process of applying for KUR funds with BNI Mataram City Branch. Meanwhile, for tobacco farmers through BNI Praya Branch, Central Lombok Regency.

Regarding the existence of CV ABB as a third party, it is strongly suspected that it received a direct appointment from the ministry. Likewise with the involvement of HKTI NTB.

Problems in this case also emerged when a number of farmers applied for loans to BRI. The application cannot be processed because there are KUR arrears that are currently running at BNI.

Their arrears also varied, ranging from Rp. 15 million to Rp. 45 million. Its value depends on the ownership of the land area.