PIKIRAN RAKYAT - The former Regent of Meranti, Muhammad Adil, is suspected of using the Meranti Regent's Office as collateral for a loan of IDR 100 billion (USD 1,6 million). The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is currently investigating these allegations.
"We won't jump to conclusions and say that this is definitely wrong." "We'll first investigate whether this constitutes corruption or not," said KPK Deputy Chairman Nurul Ghufron in Jakarta on Sunday, April 15, 2023.
He explained that when applying for a loan, assets must be used as collateral, but it's not possible if the asset belongs to the state.
"If the asset is owned by the state or region, it's impossible to seize and auction it off in case of default," he said. The KPK will conduct a thorough investigation into the case of a loan with state assets as collateral, as there are potential taxpayers' interests that could be harmed in the case, despite it being a private matter.
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"We will investigate in depth the case of a loan with state assets as collateral. Even though it's a private matter if state-owned assets are used as collateral, we need to investigate whether it's legal or not," stated Ghufron.
Previously, the KPK had named the Regent of Meranti, Muhammad Adil, as a suspect in a case involving allegations of budget cuts, umrah travel gratuities, and bribery of financial examiners. Immediately after being named a suspect, Muhammad Adil was detained by the anti-corruption agency.
Aside from the Regent, the KPK also named two other suspects, namely M. Gahmi Aressa (MFA), a junior auditor at the Regional Office of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) in Riau, and Fitria Nengsih (FN), the Head of BPKAD of the Meranti Regency Government.
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Ghufron explained that Muhammad Adil allegedly instructed the heads of regional work units (SKPD) to cut budgets by 5 to 10 percent, which were later transferred to Fitria Nengsih as a trusted person.