Former Acting Governor of South Sulawesi Detained in Alleged Pineapple Seedling Procurement Corruption Case
Makassar — The Special Criminal Investigative Unit of the South Sulawesi High Prosecutor’s Office has designated six suspects, including former Acting Governor (Pj) of South Sulawesi with initials BB, and detained five of them in connection with an alleged corruption offence in the procurement of pineapple seedlings in 2024 with a budgeted value of Rp60 billion.
“Today, at 21:40 WITA, the Special Criminal Investigators of the South Sulawesi High Prosecutor’s Office detained five suspects related to the alleged corruption offence in the pineapple seedling procurement project at the Food Security, Food Crops, Horticulture and Plantation Office,” stated Head of the South Sulawesi High Prosecutor’s Office Didik Farkhan Alisyahdi in Makassar on Monday evening.
The designation and detention of the suspects, he explained to reporters during a press release on the corruption case at the Prosecutor’s Office, indicated that investigators had obtained at least two valid and sufficient pieces of evidence.
“This indicates unlawful conduct resulting in state losses of approximately Rp50 billion as calculated by BPKP, which will be released shortly,” stated Didik firmly.
The five suspects, he said, include BB, former Acting Governor of South Sulawesi; RM, director of PT AAN or the supplier; RE, director of PT CAP as the activity implementer; HS, as the accompanying team member to the Acting Governor of South Sulawesi from 2023-2024; and RRS, a civil servant from the Takalar Regency Government.
Besides the five suspects, continued Didik, the investigative team has also designated one suspect with initials UN, serving as Budget User Authority (KPA) at BPK, as a suspect. However, today he did not attend the examination summons, citing illness as the reason.
The detention of the five suspects was carried out separately. Suspect BB was detained at Class IIB Prison in Maros Regency, whilst the four other suspects—RM, RE, HS and RRS—were detained at Class IA Gunung Sari Prison in Makassar.
“For the four at Gunung Sari Prison in Makassar, and this one to Maros, BB. This is our strategy, so they understand, so they don’t gather,” he said.
For their actions, the suspects are charged with violating legal provisions under multiple articles, namely Article 603 of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code in conjunction with Article 20 letter c of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code; in conjunction with Article 18 paragraph (1) letters a and b of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Corruption Offences, as amended and supplemented by Law Number 20 of 2001.
Furthermore, Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 paragraph (1) letters a and b of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Corruption Offences, as amended and supplemented by Law Number 20 of 2001, in conjunction with Article 20 letter c of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code, in conjunction with Article 618 of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code.
“The articles are lengthy because there have been amendments to several corruption law provisions incorporated into the Criminal Code. In essence, we at the South Sulawesi High Prosecutor’s Office affirm our commitment to thoroughly investigate this matter and take firm action against all those involved and proven to have caused state financial losses,” he stated firmly.
Previously, the South Sulawesi High Prosecutor’s Office had conducted a lengthy series of legal proceedings. On 17 December 2025, Special Criminal Investigators examined former Acting Governor BB in a marathon session lasting approximately 10 hours to explore the policies related to the procurement project.
To ensure that those involved do not flee and complicate the investigation, the South Sulawesi High Prosecutor’s Office also submitted a request for a travel ban abroad to the Deputy Attorney General for Intelligence on 30 December 2025. The ban applies to all six persons who now have suspect status.
The investigation into this case followed searches of the Food Crops, Horticulture and Plantation Office, the BKAD Office, and contractor offices. From these locations, investigators seized hundreds of contract documents and financial transaction evidence, and examined more than 80 witnesses from various sectors, including bureaucracy, legislature, private sector, and farmer groups.