Attorney General: Avoid Making Village Heads Suspects, Unless...

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Attorney General ST Burhanuddin has asked the prosecutorial ranks to avoid designating village heads as suspects, unless the village head has misused village funds for personal interests.

Burhanuddin stated that he would hold district chief prosecutors (kajari) and high prosecutors (kajati) accountable if they designate a village head as a suspect due to administrative issues.

“Avoid, avoid making village heads suspects. Unless the money is indeed used by the village head, perhaps to get married again or something, and that happens. If the money is truly used, go ahead,” said Burhanuddin at the Fairmont Hotel, Jakarta, on Sunday (19/4/2026).

Burhanuddin asked the kajari and kajati to imagine the position of the village head elected by the community who does not know what government administration is.

Village heads also do not understand financial accountability.

Burhanuddin mentioned that village heads are also not people who have ever handled billions of rupiah before becoming village heads.

Therefore, Burhanuddin believes that prosecutors should guide deviant village heads, while the party to be held accountable is the local government.

“Not the village head. The village government department is the one that must be most responsible if there is anything in the village. The department head is obliged to provide guidance,” said Burhanuddin.

“So if there is a village head who commits actions outside of his proper activities, he must also be responsible for these actions,” he added.

He also admitted that he is not proud if the prosecutorial ranks at the local level designate village heads as suspects.

“I also hope, and I ask all prosecutorial apparatus, I have conveyed this several times, there should be no more criminalisation of village apparatus,” said Burhanuddin.

“I will not be proud if you in the regions make village heads suspects,” he added.