State losses in Kotim regional election grant case estimated at Rp10 billion
Palangka Raya (ANTARA) - The Central Kalimantan High Prosecutor’s Office has stated that state losses in the alleged corruption over the use of grant funds for the 2024 regional election at the Kotawaringin Timur (Kotim) General Election Commission (KPU) are estimated to reach Rp10 billion.
“The state financial loss is still being calculated by the Central Kalimantan Provincial Office of BPKP, with the estimated loss at roughly Rp10 billion,” said Dodik Mahendra, Head of the Legal Information Section at the Central Kalimantan High Prosecutor’s Office, in Palangka Raya on Tuesday.
The case relates to the use of grant funds for the organisation of the 2024 Kotawaringin Timur Regent and Deputy Regent Election at the Kotawaringin Timur KPU in the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
The Kotawaringin Timur KPU received grant funds sourced from the Kotawaringin Timur Regency Regional Budget (APBD) totalling Rp40 billion.
The funds comprised Rp16 billion in 2023 and Rp24 billion in 2024, based on the Regional Grant Agreement Deed (NPHD) between the Kotawaringin Timur Regency Government and the Kotawaringin Timur KPU for the organisation of the 2024 regional election.
According to Dodik, investigators suspect a number of irregularities in the use of the funds, including expenditure outside the budget plan (RAB), use of funds after the election stages had concluded, fictitious spending, price inflation, and kickbacks.
The Central Kalimantan High Prosecutor’s Office has named seven people as suspects in the case, namely MR, W, JJ, MT, E, F, and MHM.
Five of the suspects - MR, W, JJ, MT, and E - are commissioners of the Kotawaringin Timur KPU. Meanwhile, F is the Secretary of the Kotim KPU as well as the Budget User Authority (KPA), and MHM is the Commitment-Making Officer (PPK) of the Kotim KPU for the 2023-2024 period.
Investigators also examined 24 witnesses at the Kotawaringin Timur District Prosecutor’s Office on Monday (7/9) to complete the investigation.
“As many as 26 witnesses were summoned, but only 24 answered the summons, while one person was absent due to illness and another is still in Jakarta,” he said.
The investigation was carried out based on several investigation orders issued by the Head of the Central Kalimantan High Prosecutor’s Office, issued since January 2026 and amended through to July 2026.
Dodik said the witness examinations were conducted to expedite the investigation into the alleged misuse of the Kotawaringin Timur regional election grant funds.