KPU Member Suspected Of Corruption Has Not Been Arrested, Maluku Police Chief Claims 2024 Election Stages in Aru Could Be Interrupted

MALUKU - The Maluku Regional Police revealed the reasons for the five KPU commissioners and the KPU Secretary for the Aru Islands Regency who have been named as suspects in alleged corruption but have not yet been arrested.

Maluku Police Chief Inspector General Pol Lotharia Latif said the detention of the alleged corruption suspects in grant funds for the 2020 Aru Islands regional election grants could disrupt the 2024 election stages in the Aru Islands.

"Regarding the detention of the suspects has not been carried out due to several considerations. Currently, the process of the election stages is temporarily ongoing, so if the suspects are immediately detained, it is certain that the election stages in Aru Regency will be disrupted," said Maluku Police Chief Inspector General of Police Lotharia Latif in Ambon, Wednesday, April 5, confiscated by Antara.

The Regional Police Chief said that the Maluku Regional Police had also invited the Maluku KPU Commissioner to coordinate regarding this matter on Friday 24 March.

The results of this coordination, said the Kapolda, Maluku KPU stated that for the replacement of a KPU member who was suspected of violating the law, it must be in accordance with Law number 7 of 2017 concerning Elections and PKPU No. 8 of 2019 concerning KPU work procedures.

"And it will certainly take quite a long time, on the other hand, the phasing of the Election in Aru must continue," he said.

In relation to this regulation, the Head of the Regional Police and the Head of the Maluku Province KPU agreed that the matter should be immediately reported to the Central KPU and the National Police's Criminal Investigation Unit.

"This matter has been reported to the Central KPU and Bareskrim Polri to find a solution. Whatever the result, the Maluku Regional Police will carry out the decision," said the regional police chief.

The Regional Police Chief revealed that the corruption case involving five KPU commissioners and the Aru Islands KPU Secretary was being processed by the Aru Islands Police, after receiving reports from the public since 2020.

Based on this report, the Aru Police then carried out an investigation process and found an alleged violation of the law which resulted in state losses. Based on these findings, the case was then upgraded to the investigation stage in 2021.

After being promoted to investigation status, the Aru Polres sent a letter to the BPK on June 6 2021 and the letter was also sent to the BPK requesting an audit of state loss calculations (PKN).

"The BPK has just completed an audit which took up to two years with the result that there were state losses in the case. A letter from the BPK regarding the results of the PKN was only received by the Aru Police in early March 2023," said the Kapolda.

Based on the results of the PKN audit, the Aru Police then named five commissioners and the Aru Islands KPU secretary as suspects.

"So the point is that this case is an old case. The length of the case is because the Aru Police are waiting for the PKN results from the BPK RI, which takes up to two years," he said.