NTB Council Reprimands Public Works Agency Over IDR 11 Billion Overpayment

Commission IV of the West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Provincial Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) has highlighted findings from the 2025 Audit Result Report (LHP) by the Audit Board of Indonesia (BPK) involving the NTB Public Works, Housing, and Settlement Areas Department, which amount to nearly Rp 11 billion.

These findings stem from overpayments made to several contractors. Of the Rp 11 billion, only about Rp 1 billion has been successfully resolved, while the remaining 98 per cent remains unaddressed.

The Vice Chairman of Commission IV of the NTB DPRD, Sudirsah Sujanto, stated that this significant BPK finding is a critical issue that must be immediately resolved by the department. He noted that the overpayments for several projects have yet to be settled.

“The BPK audit findings in the Public Works Department are quite large, nearly Rp 11 billion. However, up to this moment, only Rp 1 billion has been resolved. This means approximately 98 per cent has not been settled,” said Sudirsah during a Hearing Session (RDP) at the NTB DPRD on Wednesday (1/7/2026).

The Gerindra Party politician from the West Lombok-North Lombok constituency revealed that the largest accumulation of findings is in the infrastructure sector, specifically within the technical implementation units for road maintenance.

“The highest amounts are in the road offices, for road maintenance, both in the Lombok Region Road Office and the Sumbawa Island office. These are very large. This also includes the Lenangguar-Lunyuk road project, which currently leaves a poor impression,” said Sudirsah.

Sudirsah explained that most of the Rp 11 billion findings originated from cases of overpayment to project contractors. These cases cover everything from road maintenance works to physical building construction.

Although the administrative and physical errors lie with the partners, Sudirsah reminded that the institutional responsibility for resolution remains with the relevant department, as the documents were officially signed on behalf of the agency.

“The findings involve third parties, specifically the contractors. Currently, the department is in the process of demanding payment from these contractors so they can immediately return the overpayments,” he explained.

The NTB DPRD issued a stern warning to the Head of the NTB Public Works and Housing Department to utilise the remaining time before the deadline for returning regional losses expires. According to regulations, the government has 60 days from the submission of the BPK audit report to follow up on findings.

“The process is ongoing and there is still time for repayment; about one month remains of the total 60 days provided. Therefore, we are demanding that the Head of the Department resolve this immediately to prevent any legal issues in the future,” Sudirsah emphasised.

Consequently, Commission IV of the NTB DPRD requested that these findings serve as a basis for a comprehensive evaluation of the department’s internal performance, particularly in the areas contributing to the highest number of findings.

“We request the Head of the Department to immediately conduct a total evaluation of the infrastructure, road maintenance, and building construction sectors to ensure such oversight weaknesses do not recur in the future,” he asserted.

The Head of the NTB Public Works, Housing, and Settlement Areas Department, Lalu Wijaya Kusuma, did not deny the findings. He emphasised that they are actively pursuing the recovery of regional losses from the project partners.

He noted that the overpayments were largely due to negligence on the part of third parties. His office has instructed all internal technical teams to move swiftly in conducting intensive collection efforts against the contractors.

“Yes, there are many third parties involved, and we have instructed our internal teams to proceed with the collection immediately. We have about 30 days of time remaining, if I am not mistaken. We will pursue the collection with all our strength and as optimally as possible,” said Lalu Wijaya Kusuma after the meeting.

Wijaya mentioned that while the findings are spread across several departments, the largest portion is within the Bina Marga sector, which handles road infrastructure on Lombok and Sumbawa islands.

“Therefore, this is our specific focus within Bina Marga right now. Hopefully, our teams in the field can push for a swift resolution,” concluded Wijaya.