Reasons Why Bandung District Attorney's Office Terminated Corruption Case Involving Deputy Mayor Erwin

The Bandung District Attorney’s Office (Kejari Bandung) has halted the investigation into the alleged corruption case involving Bandung Deputy Mayor Erwin and Bandung Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) member Rendiana Awangga through the issuance of a Termination of Investigation Order (SP3).

The Head of the Bandung District Attorney’s Office, Abun Hasbuloh Sambas, stated that the termination was carried out to provide legal certainty after investigators failed to find sufficient elements to proceed with the case. “However, it is noted that if witnesses or other pieces of evidence related to these actions emerge in the future, we will reopen the case,” Abun said in Bandung on Wednesday.

With the issuance of the SP3, the suspect status previously assigned to Erwin and Rendiana Awangga is automatically revoked.

Abun explained that the investigation had been ongoing since October 2020. At that time, investigators named both individuals as suspects based on two pieces of evidence and testimonies from 89 witnesses. However, following the implementation of new criminal codes and procedures, the office conducted further in-depth investigations using a principle of caution, including tracing alleged fund flows related to the case.

According to him, during the investigation process and several case reviews over the last five months, investigators found no evidence of fund flows actually received by the two suspects. “There has been no evidence of fund flows clearly received by the suspects,” he said. He added that this condition meant the elements of corruption as regulated by law could not be fulfilled, thus the investigation could not continue.

Nevertheless, the Bandung District Attorney’s Office emphasised that the termination of the investigation does not mean the case is closed permanently. The investigation can be reopened if new evidence or relevant testimony is discovered in the future.

Previously, the Bandung District Attorney’s Office had named Deputy Mayor Erwin and DPRD member Rendiana Awangga as suspects in a corruption case involving the abuse of authority within the Bandung City Government in 2020. Both were alleged to have requested that several goods and services procurement projects be directed towards parties affiliated with them.