Jayawijaya Prosecutor's Office Names Suspect in Rp8.2 Billion Road Project Corruption

The Jayawijaya District Prosecutor’s Office has named a suspect with the initials TMM in a case of alleged corruption involving the construction of a ring road for the Jayawijaya Regent’s Office in the 2023 fiscal year, a project valued at Rp8.2 billion. Head of the Jayawijaya District Prosecutor’s Office Sunandar Pramono stated that the case is suspected to have caused state financial losses of Rp7.3 billion, based on a calculation by the Papua office of the Financial and Development Supervisory Board (BPKP). “The state loss is Rp7.3 billion after accounting for value-added tax (VAT) and income tax (PPh),” he said in Wamena on Thursday. According to Sunandar, the suspect was named after investigators obtained sufficient evidence in accordance with Article 235 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP) through the examination of witnesses, expert witnesses, and the collection of documents during the investigation process. The investigation revealed that the project was not carried out in the 2023 fiscal year as contracted, but was only executed in June 2024 following a routine audit finding by the Papua Representative Office of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK). He said the BPK had previously recommended that all disbursed budget funds be returned. However, this recommendation was not implemented by TMM, who served as the budget user and commitment-making official (PPK). “On that basis, suspect TMM, as the budget user and PPK, approved the budget disbursement together with the late BLR, who was a working group member, and the work was carried out by CV Runi Jaya as stated in the contract,” he said. Meanwhile, Head of the Special Crimes Section at the Jayawijaya Prosecutor’s Office, Sarah EC Bukorsyom, stated that TMM is charged with violating Article 2 and/or Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 on the Eradication of Corruption, as amended by Law Number 20 of 2001, in conjunction with provisions in Law Number 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code. “The naming of this suspect is a manifestation of the Jayawijaya Prosecutor’s Office’s commitment to eradicating corruption in a professional, transparent, and just manner while protecting state finances,” she said.