Hospital Project Corruption Case. West Sumatra Prosecutor's Office Searches Bukittinggi Health Office

The investigative team from the West Sumatra High Court conducted a search of files in the form of documents and other important archives related to the Bukittinggi hospital construction project (ANTARA/Alfatah)

BUKITTINGGI - The West Sumatra High Prosecutor's investigation team conducted a search at the Bukittinggi City Health Office for the purpose of collecting evidence in the alleged corruption case of the regional public hospital (RSUD) construction project.

The team of investigators from the West Sumatra Prosecutor's Office, totaling nine people, visited the Health Service office in Aur Kuning, Bukittinggi, and searched for a number of archives or documents.

"Previously, we had also visited the RSUD building in Gulai Bancah, but it turned out that the documents we were looking for were still in the office of the Health Service, which was being renovated," said Head of West Sumatra Prosecutors' Investigation Division, Ilham Wahyudi, as quoted by ANTARA, Thursday, August 25.

He confirmed that the investigative team conducted a search to find documents and other files related to the alleged corruption case of the Bukittinggi Hospital construction project which began work in 2018.

"This is the first day that the Prosecutor's Office examines and searches piles of archives in the period 2018 to 2019. We will bring everything needed for the ongoing investigation," Ilham said.

For the determination of the suspect, according to him, the West Sumatra Prosecutor's Office investigators are still waiting for the statements of all witnesses and the adequacy of the required documentary evidence.

"There are about 20 people who have been called as witnesses, all of those who are related have been summoned, for the total state losses are also still being calculated," he added.

Meanwhile, the Head of the Bukittinggi City Health Office, Linda Faroza, said that his party was cooperative in the legal process of the alleged corruption case of the RSUD project which is being handled by the prosecutor's office.

"The Prosecutor's Office has come since this morning for the sake of the legal process, we are cooperative by showing all the existing archives regarding the construction of the Bukittinggi Hospital," he said.

Linda, who recently served as Head of the Bukittinggi City Health Office, admitted that she had never been asked for any information by the West Sumatra Attorney General's Office investigators.

"I have not been here for a month (Bukittinggi Health Office)), so I have never been asked for any information because I was not here during the construction of the hospital," he said.

The alleged corruption case of the Bukittinggi Hospital construction project, which is estimated to cost the state finances up to Rp. 16 billion, was raised to the investigation stage based on an investigation warrant from the Head of the West Sumatra High Prosecutor's Office Number Print 03 /L.3/Fd.1//03/2022 dated March 23, 2022.

The construction of the Bukittinggi Hospital officially began laying the first stone in September 2018 with a project value of Rp. 102 billion. The hospital stands on an area of 3.4 hectares in Gulai Bancah Jalan Bypass, Bukittinggi.