So Witness To 2017 Corn Seed Corruption, Former Head Of BPSBP NTB Claims 130 Tons Of Corn Seeds Damaged

Former Head of BPSBP NTB Wardi gave testimony as a witness in the trial of 5 accused of corn seed corruption from the 2017 PPHP team at the Mataram Corruption Court, Tuesday (17/9/2024). (ANTARA)

NTB - Former Head of the NTB Plantation Seed Supervision and Certification Center (BPSBP) Wardi claimed 130 tons of corn seeds from the procurement of PT Sinta Agro Mandiri (SAM) in 2017 were damaged, resulting in crop failure.

This was conveyed by Wardi when he was presented as a witness in the corn seed corruption trial from the work recipient committee team (PPHP) with five defendants at the Corruption Court at the Mataram District Court (PN), Tuesday, September 17.

The five defendants from the PPHP team were named Ruslan Abubakar, I Komang Alit Yasa, Lalu Isnajaya, Muhammad Ilham El Muharrir, and Lalu Willi Pranegara.

"From the recipient farmer group in Sumbawa, they said that initially the corn seeds they planted did not grow," said Wardi, confiscated by Antara.

Following up on information from farmers, he explained, BPSBP NTB verified in the field and found that the corn seeds from the procurement of PT SAM on Sumbawa Island that failed to plant were damaged and indicated to be fake or not corn seeds.

"As a result, we made a seed report that did not grow," he said.

PT SAM's corn seeds, he continued, came from East Java. Wardi admitted that the NTB BPSBP had received information that the corn seeds that entered NTB were not through the verification process.

As Head of BPSBP NTB, Wardi reported the findings in a joint meeting with a number of parties. Including the former Head of the NTB Agriculture and Plantation Service (Distanbun) Husnul Fauzi.

"The results of the meeting were asked to replace corn seeds that did not grow in farmer groups," he said.

Furthermore, Wardi, who served as Head of BPSBP NTB for the 2016-2020 period, said that on January 2, 2018, the replacement seeds sent from Java were in a damaged condition. The amount is about 7 tons.

From the results of the NTB BPSBP verification, the damaged replacement seeds also did not go through the verification process.

In the indictment, the prosecutor stated that the five defendants helped enrich other people, in this case Aryanto Prametu and Lalu IkhwanulHubby from the provider or the one holding corn seeds.

The defendants were also declared to have participated in a criminal act of corruption which caused state financial losses of Rp27.35 billion.

As a result of the actions of the five defendants, the prosecutor charged them with primary and subsidiary charges related to Article 2 paragraph (1) and/or Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended by Law no. 20 of 2001 jo. Article 55 paragraph (1) 1st of the Criminal Code.

From the investigation process of the NTB Prosecutor's Office, the actions of the five defendants in this case were related to not checking the work results, but directly signing a letter stating that the work was in accordance with the contract document.

As a result of this act, it was revealed that almost all corn seeds could not be planted by farmers due to damaged and moldy seed conditions.

This has been strengthened based on the results of the audit on the calculation of state financial losses from BPKP NTB which states the overall value of the procurement as a total loss.

The corn seed procurement project for the 2017 fiscal year costs IDR 48.25 billion. The seed distribution is carried out in two stages.

The first stage was carried out by PT Sinta Agro Mandiri (SAM) belonging to the convict Aryanto Prametu with a budget of IDR 17.25 billion for the procurement of 480 tons of corn seeds. The second stage was carried out by PT Wahana Banu Sejahtera (WBS) owned by the convict Lalu IkhwanulRIBy with a budget of IDR 31 billion for 840 tons of corn seeds.

From this procurement, the prosecutor's office had previously revealed four suspects who are now inmates. They are Khusnul Fauzi, the former Head of the NTB Distanbun, Wayan Wikanaya as the project PPK, and two directors of corn seed providers, namely Aryanto Prametu and Lalu IkhwanulHubby.

In the files of four convicts, the prosecutor's office in the indictment included the results of the NTB BPKP audit of Rp27.35 billion.

State losses in this case have been charged to two convicts who act as providers of corn seeds, namely Lalu IkhwanulHubby and Aryanto Prametu.