Palembang Prosecutor's Office Names Acting Head Of South Sumatra PMD For Batik Corruption Suspects As Fugitives

Kajari Palembang Hutamrin (right). (ANTARA/M Mahendra Putra)

Palembang District Attorney's Special Crime Investigation Team has appointed Acting Head of South Sumatra Village Community Empowerment Service (PMD) Wilson as a fugitive or on the wanted list (DPO) after disappearing and not fulfilling the call.

Wilson, who has been named a suspect since August 2024 for the development of the South Sumatra PMD's batik procurement case volume II, did not heed the summons of the prosecutor's investigator or absent and his whereabouts were not even known, not even at his house in the Bukit Baru area of Palembang.

"It is true that we have summoned the person concerned properly, several times, we even tried to forcefully pick him up, but the whereabouts of this suspect were not found and then we determined him as a fugitive and was on the People's Wanted List for immediate pursuit and arrest of this suspect," explained Head of the Palembang Kejari Hutamrin accompanied by Kasipidsus Arjansyah and Head of the Intelligence Subsidy Fachri reported by ANTARA, Monday, May 26.

Previously, the investigation of suspect Wilson was rescheduled last week.

"We have rescheduled the summons of the suspect and witness witnesses regarding this case, but Wilson is absent and reasoned that he is sick, we have to pick him up but there is no witness concerned," he said.

For information, after punishing three convicts of corruption cases in the procurement of South Sumatra PMD batik and the status of inkrah, investigators for the Special Investigation Division of the Palembang Kejari have re-developed the case with several new names involved.

Previously, in the corruption case in the procurement of PMDSUMsel Batik, there was a fact that there was a flow of funds flowing to a number of new parties. This was revealed by the witnesses who were present and the statements of the defendants in the courtroom at that time.

The previous three defendants, among others, Agus Sumantri as Chair of the Association of Village Apparatus for Indonesia, South Sumatra Province, were sentenced to 2 years and 6 months in prison, while the two defendants Joko Nuroini and Priyo Prasetyo were each sentenced to 1 year in prison.

The Public Prosecutor of the Palembang Kejari previously charged the defendant Agus Sumantri with imprisonment for 3 years and 6 months in prison and a fine of Rp. 50 million, subsidiary to 6 months.

As for the defendants, namely Joko Nuroini and Prio Prasetyo, the Palembang Prosecutor's Office was charged with imprisonment for 1 year and 6 months each and a fine of Rp. 50 million, subsidiary to 6 months.

In the prosecutor's indictment, it was revealed that the defendant Agus Sumantri as the Chair of the South Sumatra Provincial PPID for the period 2020-2025, together with Joko Nuroini, Priyo Prasetyo, was carried out a separate prosecution and witness Letty Priyanti, Director of CV Arlet and witness Wilson Acting Head of the South Sumatra PMD Service, carried out jointly or individually, ordered to do or participate in doing to enrich themselves.

The actions of the defendants resulted in state financial losses or the state economy amounting to Rp871,356,000.00.