Bengkulu Prosecutor's Office Again Sets Corruption Suspects In Hajj Dormitory

The suspect PS was about to be taken to a detention car to be taken to the Malabero Detention Center, Bengkulu. ANTARA/Anggi Mayasari

BENGKULU - The Bengkulu High Prosecutor's Special Crime Investigator has again named one suspect, PSS, related to the alleged corruption in the revitalization and development project of the Bengkulu Hajj Dormitory for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.

"Today we have named a witness PS as the third party as a suspect in the alleged corruption case of revitalizing the Hajj dormitory in 2020 and after the examination of the suspect, we immediately detained him at the Malabero Bengkulu Detention Center for the next 20 days," said Head of Investigation of the Special Prosecutor's Office of the Bengkulu High Prosecutor's Office, Danang Prasetyo, as reported by ANTARA, Monday, October 16.

PS is a third party or broker for the 2020 Hajj hostel project worth IDR 38 billion with a state financial loss of IDR 1.2 billion.

The determination of the suspect was carried out after an examination for almost two hours, then the Bengkulu Attorney General's Office Investigation Team concluded that the suspect PS had been detained for the next 20 days at the Malabero Detention Center, Bengkulu.

He said that prior to the detention, PS had entrusted Rp20 million for the recovery of state financial losses arising from the case.

Previously, the Bengkulu High Prosecutor's Office had named the Director of PT Bahana Krida Nusantara (BKN), namely SU as a suspect in the alleged corruption of the revitalization and development project of the Bengkulu Hajj Dormitory for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.

It is known that the Bengkulu Prosecutor's Office Pidsus Team has received deposits from a number of witnesses in the case of corruption in the revitalization of the construction of Hajj dormitories in 2020 with a total of IDR 788 million.

The money deposited consisted of witness MT who returned Rp30 million on August 15, then on August 10 received a deposit of Rp200 million from a witness with the initials M in the alleged corruption case of the construction of a hajj dormitory in 2020.

"Witness M was previously a private company with a fee to borrow the company's flag. Because those who gave the company's flag felt guilty, the fee was returned," he said.

Furthermore, on August 3, 2023, a witness entrusted Rp75 million and on July 13, 2023, the Bengkulu Attorney General's Office received a deposit of Rp450 million from a contract-breaking contractor in the alleged corruption case of the construction of a hajj dormitory in 2020, namely PT Bahana Krida Nusantara.

The money, he said, was handed over to the temporary holding account which was then used as evidence in the corruption case.

Meanwhile, the case of corruption in the revitalization of the construction of hajj dormitories in 2020 caused state losses which reached Rp1.28 billion.

"Based on the results of an audit from the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP), the state loss is Rp1.28 billion and we thank BPKB for the results of the rapid audit," he said.