Head Of West Aceh Plantation Office And Head Of Cooperatives Become Corruption Suspects For Palm Oil Rejuvenation

Illustration-(Photo: DOK ANTARA)

ACEH - The Aceh High Prosecutor's Office (Kejati) has named two suspects for alleged corruption in the People's Palm Oil Rejuvenation Program (PSR) in West Aceh Regency. Head of the Legal Information Section of the Aceh Attorney General's Office, Ali Rasab Lubis, said that the determination was made after investigators found three sufficient preliminary pieces of evidence. "The two suspects, namely SM, are the Head of the West Aceh Regency Plantation Service and ZZ as the Head of the Mandiri Jaya Beusare Producer Cooperative," said Ali Rasab Lubis in Banda Aceh, Antara, Thursday, April 13. Ali Rasab said the case began when the West Aceh Regency Plantation Service socialized the oil palm rejuvenation program to farmers or gardeners in 2017 through the West Aceh District Cooperative Service. Furthermore, the Cooperative Service proposed that the Mandiri Jaya Beusare Producer Cooperative receive assistance from the oil palm rejuvenation program. The cooperative submitted 10 proposals for PSR Program assistance through the West Aceh Regency Plantation Service. "After verification, the proposed assistance for the oil palm rejuvenation program was approved. The cooperative received assistance reaching more than Rp75.6 billion in the 2019 fiscal year," said Ali Rasab Lubis. However, based on the results of the investigation and investigation, it turned out that the land proposed by the Mandiri Jaya Beusare Producer Cooperative for the oil palm rejuvenation program was in the form of hard wood trees or still in forest conditions. In addition, he said, there is oil palm land with an age of under 25 years and is included in the right to use business (HGU) of plantation companies. So, the proposed land for PRS is not in accordance with the terms of beneficiaries as stated in the Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture concerning Guidelines for Palm Oil Rejuvenation. "The proposed land for PSR assistance should be oil palm plantations with an age of over 25 years and not a company HGU. The land must be in accordance with the Regulation of the Minister of Agriculture," said Ali Rasab Lubis. Based on the results of the case exposure, said Ali Rasab Lubis, the suspects ZZ and SM are the parties responsible for the alleged corruption in the oil palm rejuvenation program.

"The two suspects are suspected of violating Article 2 in conjunction with Article 3 of Law Number 31 of 1999 which was changed to Law Number 20 of 2001 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption. The two suspects have not been detained," said Ali Rasab Lubis.