Meranti Islands Regent, Muhammad Adil, was arrested in a sting operation carried out by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) towards the end of last week. Adil has been in the headlines some time ago because of an argument with the Ministry of Finance. He even mentioned that the ministry is filled with demons. Now, when the Ministry of Finance is in the spotlight, it turns out that Muhammad Adil isn’t exactly a good person either.
Muhammad Adil was initially arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) along with 27 other people during a sting operation that was carried out on Thursday night. The KPK secured Rp1.7 billion in the operation. The KPK then conducted intensive investigations of the parties arrested and a day later the KPK named three people as suspects, namely:
- Regent Muhammad Adil;
- Head of Regional Financial and Asset Management Agency (BPKAD), Fitria Nengsih; and
- Junior Examiner at the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) Representative of Riau, M Fahmi Aressa.
In a press conference the following day, KPK Deputy Chief, Alexander Marwata, said Adil was suspected of ordering the department heads at the Meranti Islands regency government to pay him a deposit. The deposit came from supply money (UP) and compensation for supply money (GU) for each department which was then conditioned as if it were a debt to the Regent. This modi operandi is similar to that carried out by the Regent of Kapuas (Central Kalimantan), who was recently named a graft suspect by the KPK.
Alexander stated that the amount of deductions taken was between 5 percent and 10 percent of the total budget and the results of the collection were handed over to Fitria in cash. In this case, Fitria was named as Adil’s confidant and the money was collected for Adil’s personal needs, one of which was operational funds for a political safari to run for the governorship election process in Riau which will be held in 2024. The KPK did not explain in detail how much money was collected by Adil, but so far it is suspected that Adil has received Rp26.1 billion and this finding is still being followed up and explored in more detail by the Investigative Team.
But Adil’s crimes did not stop there.
In December 2022, Adil is also suspected of receiving compensation from PT Tanur Muthmainnah (PT TM) through Fitria. This company is engaged in travel services for Umrah trips and won the Umrah departure project for takmir or manager of mosques in the Meranti Islands regency. In the KPK’s explanation, Fitria turned out to be the head of the company’s branch.
In summary, because the company wins the project, the budget provided by the regency government is then transferred to the company. From the offer compiled by the company and which so far is the company’s official program, for every five people who go for Umrah, there is a bonus of one free departure. However, in the departure process for the Meranti Islands mosque takmirs, this free departure bonus was later counted as a paid departure. The overpayment is what Adil received. Adil is suspected of receiving as much as Rp1.4 billion from this misappropriation.
Finally, in the third case, Adil and Fitria allegedly gave around Rp1.1 billion to Fahmi, who is the head of the Examining Team conducting an audit of the regency’s financial reports in 2022. The bribes were allegedly given so that the results of the financial audit of the Meranti Islands regency government were noted good and later obtained the title of Unqualified (WTP). This Modi Operandi too, unfortunately, is something that has happened all too often. Fahmi is not the first BPK auditor to be ensnared and charged by the KPK. Unfortunately, the arrests in the previous cases, in different regions, were not enough to have a deterrent effect. In the midst of the spotlight aimed at the greed of Ministry of Finance employees which then spread to other State institutions, we already know that the take home pay of a BPK auditor is not small. But why is this amount not enough to eliminate the desire to commit corruption?
From the KPK’s explanation, this means that in one sting operation, three graft cases were uncovered. Adil really has a very busy life and named a suspect as a bribee and also a briber. But as mentioned, apart from crimes committed by the Regent, the BPK must also evaluate itself. The question is, how?
In addition, in terms of politics, Adil is a person who will do anything to get a position, including changing political parties. Adil started his political career by becoming a legislator in the Bengkalis DPRD (2009-2014) and then member of the Meranti Islands DPRD (2014-2018) while still joining the Hanura Party. In 2018, Adil decided to leave Hanura and join the National Awakening Party (PKB). Together with PKB, Adil was re-elected as a member of the Meranti Islands DPRD for the 2019-2024 period. In the midst of his term of office, Adil decided to step down from his position and run as a candidate for Regent. His decision to step down paid off. Adil has taken office since early 2021. With this timeline, it means that Adil has only been in office for two years and has managed to illegally extract Rp26 billion from the regional budget. Adil’s action is very ironic because his dispute with the Ministry of Finance became public attention at the end of last year.
Adil’s anger is related to the oil production sharing fund (DBH) for the Meranti Islands which he feels is very little. Adil argued with the Director General of Fiscal Balance at the Ministry of Finance, Lucky Alfirman, at the National Coordination Meeting regarding the Management of Regional Expenditure Revenues throughout Indonesia in Pekanbaru. On that occasion, Adil poured out his disappointment and accused that the Ministry of Finance was filled with devils or demons. Not only that, Adil also said that if the Government cannot take care of the Meranti Islands, then the Government should no longer need to take natural resources in the region and should just give the region to a neighboring country. Adil even mentioned the region taking up arms because of extreme poverty.
Adil pretends to defend regional interests from the Ministry of Finance, as if he is concerned with the welfare of his region, even though in reality, he also recklessly takes things that do not belong to him. This is not surprising, but sad nonetheless.
By Pradnya Paramitha
Copying, redistributing and retransmitting this article is a violation of copyrights.