Police Detain Village Head in South Nias, North Sumatra Who Allegedly Misappropriated IDR 500 Million Village Funds

ILLUSTRATION PIXABAY

MEDAN - The head of Lahusa Fau Village, Fanayama District, South Nias Regency, North Sumatra, with the initials AM has been named a suspect in a village fund corruption case. AM was arrested.

The Head of South Nias Police AKBP Reinhard H Nainggolan through the Head of Corruption Crime Unit of the Bripka Feris Harefa said AM was detained by the Corruption Unit of the South Nias Police Criminal Investigation Unit related to allegations of corruption in village funds in 2018.

"Currently, AM has been named a suspect as well as the Head of Lahusa Fau Village, Fanayama Sub-district, South Nias Regency, FY 2018", said Bripka Feris Harefa, Thursday, October 13.

Bripka Feris explained that this case began with a complaint from the people of Lahusa Fau Village in 2020. Based on the complaint, the officer then coordinated with the APIP Inspectorate of South Nias to conduct a special audit of village funds in 2018.

"Then at the beginning of 2021, APIP Inspectorate of South Nias issued a Special Examination Report (LHP) / investigative audit and the results showed that there were irregularities indicating state financial losses related to the management of village funds in 2018", he explained.

Furthermore, South Nias APIP wrote to AM as the head of the village at that time and asked to immediately return the indications of state financial losses. Or, repair work on village funds in 2018 for 60 days.

"However, after 60 days, AM was not willing to follow up on the results of the APIP investigation and finally APIP delegated the alleged case to the South Nias Police Station for an investigation", he said.

The South Nias Police Corruption Unit then followed up by raising the alleged case to the investigation stage. However, by first holding the case at the Special Criminal Investigation Supervisor of the North Sumatra Police.

Bripka Feris said that the APIP Inspectorate of South Nias also asked to calculate the state's financial losses. Then after a re-examination, the APIP Auditor of the Inspectorate of South Sulawesi determined a state loss of IDR 509,157,305.31.

After going into the investigation process, the Corruption Unit again examined 31 witnesses. They were examined according to their respective clusters and capacities and confiscated evidence in the form of documents.

"As a result of the investigation of witnesses and the confiscation of documents, the Tipikor unit re-executed the case at the Crime Investigation Unit of the North Sumatra Police", he explained.

Based on the results of the case, it was concluded that AM had sufficient evidence to be named a suspect and was detained under the suspicion of Article 2 paragraph (1) sub-article 3 of Law no. 31 of 1999 as amended into Law no. 20 of 2001 concerning the eradication of corruption, Jo. Article 55 paragraph (1) to 1e of the Criminal Code.

"Currently, the South Nias Police Corruption Unit is still developing the case", he said.

"In this case, there is a possibility that more suspects will be added and the case file for suspect AM is being prepared to be transferred to the public prosecutor", said Bripka Feris.