KPK Detains 2 Corruption Suspects For Construction Of Tsunami Shelters In NTB

KPK Investigation Director Asep Guntur Rahayu

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) detained Apriarily Nirmala, a civil servant (PNS) of the PUPR Ministry who is also a project commitment maker (PPK) and former project chief, Agus Herijanto.

Both are suspects in alleged corruption in the temporary evacuation site (TES) or tsunami shelter in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB).

"He was detained for 20 days starting from December 30, 2024 to January 18, 2025," said Asep Guntur Rahayu, Director of KPK Investigation at a press conference at the KPK's Merah Putih building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, Monday, December 30.

Asep said the actions of these suspects resulted in the state losing up to Rp. 18.4 billion. This figure is the result of an audit conducted by the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP).

"The implementation of Building and Environmental Planning (PBL) of West Nusa Tenggara Province, the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing in 2014 has seen irregularities that caused state financial losses of Rp. 18,486,700,654," he said.

The KPK also revealed that a physical assessment of the tsunami shelter was carried out by collaborating with a team from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB). There are four findings, one of which is that planning goals have not been fulfilled.

This is because buildings that should have been strongly rocked by earthquakes up to 9 scales of richter were actually damaged after an earthquake measuring 6.4 on a richter scale and 7 on a richter scale. "The shelter condition was heavily damaged and could not be used for cover," said Asep.

The next finding, continued Asep, is that this tsunami shelter does not fully meet the design note that is a reference in planning. Then, this building has not been used either.

"The four Lombok TEST buildings at the time of the disaster experienced a building failure so that they were not used in their current condition," he explained.

In the construction of this tsunami shelter, it is also suspected that there was a decrease in specifications whose execution was carried out by Apriarily. The details are as follows:

1. Remove the inter-column binding beam at a 5 meter elevation where in the planning document there is a binding beam to the entire column in the building at an elevation of 5 meters, but it turns out to be changed only by binding around the building; 2. Reduce the number of bones in the column, where in the initial planning 48 is reduced to 40;3. Changing the concrete quality from the initial planning of K-275 to K-225.

As a result of their actions, these two suspects are suspected of violating Article 2 paragraph (1) or Article 3 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended by Law Number 20 of 2001 concerning Amendments to Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption, jo. Article 55 paragraph (1) of the 1st Criminal Code.