Banda Aceh News | In a major crackdown on public sector graft, local prosecutors in Aceh Tamiang have formally arrested and imprisoned two key figures behind a high-profile infrastructure project scandal. The decisive legal move has shaken regional government institutions as details emerge of alleged financial misconduct in a crucial rural road development project.
The Aceh Tamiang District Prosecutor’s Office (Kejari) officially named two primary suspects following an extensive, evidence-driven investigation into suspected corruption within the Long Segment road maintenance and reconstruction initiative in Bandar Pusaka District. The multi-stage project was heavily backed by the 2024 Special Allocation Fund (DAK).
During a formal press briefing, the Head of Kejari Aceh Tamiang, Yudhi Syufriadi, confirmed that both individuals were subjected to rigorous questioning at the prosecution headquarters before being escorted into custody. The suspects have been identified by their initials: RFE, the Director of private contracting firm CV Tri Jaya Family, and ERP, a high-ranking bureaucrat who served as the Budget User Representative (KPA) and Commitment-Making Officer (PPK) for the Bina Marga Division at the Aceh Tamiang Public Works and Spatial Planning (PUPR) Agency from September 2024 to March 2025.
A Broken Lifeline for Rural Communities
The criminal investigation zeroes in on critical irregularities surrounding the Long Segment project. Designed to serve as a vital economic lifeline for rural residents, the contract encompassed routine maintenance, periodic repairs, and full-scale structural reconstruction along the strategic corridor connecting Simpang III Tanjung Genteng L. Buang to Simpang III Ampun Tuan.
What was meant to deliver smooth, safe transport for local farmers and families instead devolved into an alleged scheme of illegal oversight and budget manipulation.
“The decision to elevate both individuals from witnesses to official suspects was executed after our investigative team gathered more than sufficient legal evidence, fully adhering to the criminal procedure code,” Chief Prosecutor Yudhi Syufriadi declared.
Both suspects are facing severe criminal prosecution under multiple articles of Law No. 31 of 1999 on the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption (as amended by Law No. 20 of 2001) in conjunction with the updated Criminal Code (KUHP) under Law No. 1 of 2023 and Law No. 1 of 2026. If convicted, they face heavy prison sentences alongside mandatory financial restitution for losses inflicted upon state coffers.
Immediate Incarceration and Expanding Dragnet
Following their formal designation as suspects, RFE and ERP were immediately placed in cuffs, fitted with official detention vests, and transported under guard to the Class IIB Kuala Simpang Prison. Prosecutors have issued a 20-day preliminary detention order spanning from November 5 to November 24, 2026, while trial documentation is finalized.
However, law enforcement authorities warned that the scandal may reach far beyond these two individuals. Prosecutors emphasized that this double arrest marks only the initial phase of a much wider legal dragnet.
“Our investigation remains active and aggressive. We have not ruled out the possibility of identifying additional suspects as new testimony and financial tracking unfold,” Yudhi warned sternly. “If the evidence leads us to other co-conspirators—backed by at least two valid pieces of legal proof—we will move to arrest them without hesitation, regardless of their position.”
As the contractor and the government official await trial behind bars, the residents of Bandar Pusaka are left navigating hazardous routes, waiting for true accountability and the completed, durable infrastructure they were originally promised.
