Former Village Head In Gowa Becomes Suspect Of Village Fund Corruption, Threatened To 20 Years In Prison

Illustration (Photo: Irfan Meidianto / VOI)

JAKARTA - The former head of Gentungang Village, Bajeng Barat District, Gowa Regency, South Sulawesi, with the initials SS (46) has become a suspect in a case of alleged corruption in the village fund budget.

SS is suspected of misusing the village fund budget for the 2018-2019 Fiscal Year of more than IDR 280.9 million. SS, who was named a suspect by the Criminal Investigation and Investigation Unit of the Gowa District Police, South Sulawesi was immediately arrested.

"The suspect SS carried out his actions by managing village funds alone without involving the Activity Implementation Team or TPK and the Village Financial Management Implementation Team (PPKD)," said Gowa Police Criminal Investigation Unit Head AKP Boby Rachman, quoted by Antara, Tuesday, August 10.

For his actions, the suspect was charged with Article 2 and/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 with a penalty of 20 years in prison.

Boby explained that the incident originated from public information regarding the alleged misuse of village funds in a physical development project in Gentungang Village, West Bajeng District, Gowa Regency, with a budget value of more than IDR 280.9 million.

Whereas these village funds are prioritized for financing the implementation of local village-scale programs and activities with the aim of improving the welfare of rural communities and the quality of life of the community as well as poverty alleviation. Following up on the report, the Gowa Police Corruption Unit began conducting a series of investigations. In order to uncover allegations of corruption, investigators involve construction experts. The results of the examination revealed that there were allegations of a reduction in the volume of work on 13 items of physical development projects in the village.

From a series of examinations of 21 witnesses, including two experts, it was found that the budget was misused, even the Gowa Regency Government Inspectorate had written to the suspect to immediately return the funds to the state treasury, but later failed to return them.

To confirm this case, the investigative team carried out a case title on August 2, 2021, and finally named SS the Head of Gentungang Village, who served for the 2013-2019 period as a suspect.

The results of the case title are then developed by investigators by carrying out more in-depth examinations with the suspect intensively, until the detention process is carried out by the investigator team based on the evidence and statements of witnesses.

Investigators also managed to secure various evidences in the form of Design Documents and Budget Plans (RAB) for the 2018-2019 fiscal year. As well as ADD disbursement documents, financial calculation reports from the Gowa Regency Inspectorate and Accountability Reports for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

"In this case, we urge all villages in Gowa not to do the same thing, because we will take firm action against anyone involved in the misuse of village funds," he explained.