Southeast Aceh District Attorney Investigate Allegations Of Corruption In Corn Seeds Procurement

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BANDA ACEH - The Southeast Aceh District Prosecutor's Office (Kejari) is investigating allegations of corruption in the procurement of corn seeds at the Southeast Aceh Regency Agriculture Service for Fiscal Year 2020 worth Rp2.8 billion.

Head of the Special Crimes Section, Edwardo, said that the investigation into the alleged corruption in the procurement of corn seeds had entered the investigation stage.

"This case has entered the investigation stage. Several names of potential suspects have been pocketed by investigators. However, investigators have not named the suspect because they are still waiting for the results of the state loss audit," said Edwardo, quoted by Antara, Friday, August 6.

Edwardo said the alleged mode of corruption was carried out by inflating the self-estimated price (HPS) of the NK017 hybrid corn seed.

"The HPS of corn seeds is set at Rp. 98 thousand, while the distributor price is Rp. 62 thousand, so there is a difference in price of Rp. 36 thousand. The seeds are purchased at the distributor," said Edwardo.

Edwardo said that the budget for the procurement of seeds was sourced from the Aceh Special Autonomy Fund (DOKA) of Southeast Aceh Regency. The allocated budget is Rp. 2.9 billion, but the value of the procurement contract is Rp. 2.8 billion.

"In this case, investigators have examined 12 related parties, including budget users, commitment makers, office treasurers, partners, auction committees, and others," said Edwardo.