Wastafel Corruption Case, Former Head Of Aceh Education Office Sentenced To One Year In Prison

Three defendants in corruption in the procurement of sinks attended the trial at the Corruption Court at the Banda Aceh District Court in Banda Aceh, Monday (6/1/2024). ANTARA/M Haris SA

The panel of judges at the Corruption Court at the Banda Aceh District Court sentenced former Head of the Aceh Education Office (Kadisdik) Rachmat Fitri in a corruption case in the sink procurement with a sentence of one year in prison.

The verdict was read out by the panel of judges chaired by M Jamil and accompanied by R Deddy and Anda Ariansyah, each as member judges at the trial at the Corruption Court at the Banda Aceh District Court in Banda Aceh, Monday, January 6.

In addition to imprisonment, the panel of judges also sentenced the defendant Rachmat Fitri to pay a fine of Rp. 50 million with a subsidiary or compensation if he did not pay for two months in prison.

Apart from Rachmat Fitri, the panel of judges also sentenced two other defendants, namely Muchlis as the Goods and Services Procurement Officer (PPBJ) at the Aceh Education Office with a sentence of one year in subsidiary prison for two months in prison.

As well as punishing the defendant Zulfahmi as the Technical Implementation Officer for the Procurement of Wastafel at the Aceh Education Office with a sentence of four years in prison and a fine of Rp. 100 million, subsidiary to six months in prison.

The panel of judges declared the defendants guilty legally and convincingly of Article 3 Paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 as amended into Law Number 20 of 2001 concerning the eradication of criminal acts of corruption in conjunction with Article 55 Paragraph (1) of the 1st Criminal Code.

The verdict was lighter than the demands of the public prosecutor (JPU) Sutrisna from the Banda Aceh District Attorney. At the previous trial, the Public Prosecutor demanded that the defendant Rachmat Fitri be sentenced to seven years in prison and a fine of Rp. 500 million, subsidiary to six months in prison.

As well as prosecuting the defendant Muchlis and defendant Zulfahmi each six years and six months in prison and paying a fine of Rp. 500 million with a subsidiary of six months in prison.

Previously, the Public Prosecutor charged the defendants together with committing a criminal act of corruption in the procurement of sinks or hand washing stations with a budget of Rp43.59 billion from the 2020 Aceh Revenue and Expenditure Budget (APBA) refocusing funds.

The sinks were made in all high schools and vocational schools as well as extraordinary schools in Aceh. The sink procurement was carried out during the COVID-19 pandemic. To carry out this work, the defendant involved 219 companies.

The defendants divided the sink procurement work or the hand washing place into 390 work packages. Break the work to avoid tenders or auctions.

In addition, the defendants did not review the technical specifications and the draft budget fee, resulting in a high price in the procurement of the hand washing place.

From the results of the inspection of the results of the work, it was found that there were work items not being carried out. In addition, there was also a discrepancy between the installed volume and the volume required in the work contract. Meanwhile, the disbursement of the work is carried out 100 percent.

In the construction of the hand washing place, it was found that the discrepancy between the volume installed and the required volume was detrimental to state finances.

Based on the results of an audit by the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) Representative of Aceh, the state losses incurred from the sink procurement reached Rp7.2 billion.