Police Detain Suspect of Forest Reforestation Fund Corruption in Kupang

Kupang Police Chief AKBP FX Irwan Arianto (left) when giving a press statement about the corruption case of funds for the maintenance of plants I intensive reforestation and agroforestry in Kupang Regency, Thursday. (ANTARA/Benny Lewang)

KUPANG - The Kupang Police, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) detained Ayonf or Obed as a suspect in a corruption case involving funds for the intensive reforestation and agroforestry plant maintenance project in Kupang Regency which cost the state IDR 423,024,000.

"Investigators have detained the suspect. The detention was carried out after the investigator obtained two pieces of evidence sufficient to identify Ayonf or Obed as a suspect", Kupang Police Chief, AKBP FX Irwan Arianto, told reporters as reported by ANTARA, Thursday, November 10.

Irwan Arianto explained the corruption case in the plant maintenance project I intensive reforestation and agroforestry by the UPT KPH team in the Kupang Regency area of ​​505 hectares in the BPDASHL area of ​​Noelmina FY 2020 with a project value of more than IDR 541 million allocated from the DIPA BPDASHL Benenain Noelmina FY 2020.

BPDASHL Benenain Noelmina agreed with the UPT KPH for the Kupang Regency area as the forest area holder to carry out reforestation self-management work starting from distributing seeds to plant holes, replanting, maintaining fences, weeding, fertilizing and processing and distributing hydrogen to four villages as program targets.

Each village is Uiasa Village, Semau District for IDR 111.900.000, Fatumonas Village, Central Amfoang District IDR 115.140.000, Akle Village, South Semau District IDR 231.180.000 and Oenuntono Village, Amabi Oefeto Timur District, IDR 112.800.000.

According to the Police Chief, the suspect, Ayonf alias Obed, as the head of the self-management team, only verbally appointed a farmer group as the executor of the reforestation work without being supported by a written work agreement, including submitting the amount of the budget for the work to four farmer groups in four villages.

Funds amounting to IDR 514 million have been disbursed in three stages to the account of the work implementing team, namely the first stage of IDR 216,408,000, the second stage of IDR 162,306,000 and the third stage of IDR 162,306,000 so that all the allocated funds have been absorbed.

All of the disbursed funds were taken by the suspect so that all funds were managed by the suspect without involving the treasurer, including the payment process to farmer groups, all of which were carried out by the suspect Ayonf or Obed.

The Kupang Police Chief explained that up to now the suspect, Ayonf or Obed, had not yet made an accountability report to BPDASHL Benenain Noelmina for the use of the reforestation funds.

According to the Head of Police, according to the results of the audit conducted by the audit team from the Regional Inspectorate of East Nusa Tenggara Province, it was found that the state loss amounted to IDR 423,024,000 which is strongly suspected to have been misused by the Head of the Implementation Team for Ayonf or Obed activities.