Former Jambi Education Chief Detained in SMK Special Allocation Fund Corruption Case Causing Rp21.8 Billion State Loss
Jambi, VIVA - The former Head of the Jambi Provincial Education Office, initialled VAP, along with two others B and D, have been detained in connection with an alleged criminal corruption case involving the 2021 Special Allocation Funds (DAK) for vocational schools (SMK), which caused a state loss of Rp21.8 billion.
The detention occurred after the three underwent examination and were designated as suspects. This was revealed by the Director of Special Criminal Investigation at Jambi Provincial Police, Commissioner General Taufik Nurmandia.
“It is true that Mr VAP, as the former Education Office Head of Jambi Province, along with B (an Education Office official) and D as the project broker, have been detained at the Jambi Provincial Police Detention Centre. The detention is for the purposes of the investigation,” he said on Monday, 4 May 2026.
The alleged corruption case stemmed from a report of audit findings by the Financial Audit Board (BPK) RI Representative for Jambi and discoveries by the Jambi Provincial Inspectorate, which indicated that VAP, B, and D were suspected of involvement in the misuse of budgets for several programmes in the Jambi Provincial Education Office for the 2021 fiscal year.
The former Education Office Head VAP, B (former Head of SMK Division), and D as the project broker arrived at Jambi Provincial Police at 09:30 WIB for examination and left the special criminal investigation room at 11:30 WIB already wearing orange vests as detainees.
“The detention of the three suspects was based on the investigators’ considerations to facilitate the examination and case filing, as the file is at P19 stage or needs to be completed according to the prosecutor’s instructions,” he said.
Field observations showed the three suspects exiting the investigators’ room and then being escorted to the detention cell at Jambi Provincial Police Headquarters. The three suspects, accompanied by their legal counsel, did not provide much comment on the examination and detention as suspects in the case.
In this case, the actions of the three suspects have caused a loss to state finances amounting to Rp21.8 billion from the total DAK budget of Rp121 billion in 2021.
Previously, the Director of Special Criminal Investigation at Jambi Provincial Police, Senior Commissioner Pol. Taufik Nurmandia, stated that the designation of suspects was carried out after investigators examined several witnesses, gathered evidence including expert testimony, and conducted case reconstruction.
The three suspects are charged under Article 2 Paragraph (1), Article 3, and Article 18 of Law Number 20 of 2001 on the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption in conjunction with Article 55 of the Criminal Code. (Ant)