Lubuklinggau, KOTABARI.COM – The District Attorney’s Office (Kejari) of Lubuklinggau has designated Neti Herawaty, former Head of the Primary Education Department (Dikdas) of the Education Office of Musi Rawas District (Mura), as a suspect in the corruption case involving a tahfidz house. The decision to name Neti Herawaty as a suspect was announced by the Head of Kejari Lubuklinggau, Riyadi Bayu Kristianto, through the Chief of the Special Crimes Unit (Kasi Pidsus) Achmad Arjansyah Akbar and the Chief of Intelligence (Kasi Intel) of Kejari Lubuklinggau, Wenharnol.
According to Wenharnol, the designation of Neti Herawaty as a suspect marks the culmination of the investigation into the tahfiz house case, which began in August 2023. “After the investigation progressed, we have now designated a suspect, and starting today, we will detain her for 20 days,” he explained to reporters on Thursday (4/25/2024).
The detention is carried out to ensure there is no obstruction to the ongoing investigation process. “We summoned her at 10 a.m., asked her 10 questions, and then immediately designated her as a suspect,” he added.
In this case, the state incurred losses amounting to Rp.172 million according to the audit conducted by the South Sumatra Financial and Development Audit Agency (BPKP Sumsel). The modus operandi used involved using funds allocated for the food and beverage expenses of the tahfiz house in 2021-2022 by cooking the food for the students themselves. The amount of Rp. 580 million provided by the Education Office did not match the budget allocated in the Regional Budget (APBD) amounting to Rp. 836 million.
Wenharnol also explained that although only one suspect has been designated at this stage, it does not preclude the possibility of other suspects being identified as the investigation progresses. “So far, we have only one suspect, but it depends on the investigation. If new evidence emerges, it is possible that there will be other suspects,” he concluded.
This case underscores the serious attention given to combating corruption in the education sector and reaffirms the commitment of local governments to ensuring that public funds are used transparently and accountably for the welfare of the community.