Police Check Contractor Witness Key Allegations Of Corruption In NTB PUPR Heavy Equipment Rental

Illustration of gratification or the practice of criminal acts of corruption. (Unsplash)

Mataram Police Investigators examined a contractor with the initials EF in the case of alleged corruption in the lease of heavy equipment belonging to the Lombok Provincial Road Maintenance Center at the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Public Works and Spatial Planning Service (PUPR).

Head of the Mataram Police Satreskrim AKP Regi Halili confirmed the EF examination.

"That's right. The person concerned is still being investigated. He is being examined as a witness," said Regi in Mataram, Monday, May 26, as reported by Antara.

The EF contractor in this case was previously recorded as having never fulfilled the police summons, from the investigation stage to the investigation.

So that this EF examination is the first momentum for investigators to take testimony as a witness. Regi does not deny that EF is a key witness to this case.

Before finally undergoing examination, the police had difficulty meeting the EF. All efforts have been made, including searching for the address of the EF house in East Lombok Regency.

Regi emphasized that today's EF examination could not be separated from his efforts in field tracing. The existence of the EF was revealed in Labuhan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

The police, who knew of the EF's whereabouts in NTT, immediately carried out a forced pick-up. The EF was picked up from his hiding place on Friday, May 24 evening.

The rental of heavy equipment belonging to the Lombok Provincial Road Maintenance Center at the NTB PUPR Service has been going on since 2021. The equipment rented is in the form of an excavator unit, two dump trucks and one cement complainant machine.

Until 2024, EF as the tenant contractor was recorded as not depositing rent to the government. This then became the basis for reporting to the police.

Because as a result of EF's actions, the regions suffered losses with a potential loss of Rp. 4 billion. This figure comes from the year of rental in 2021 until the end of 2024.