Bandung –
The trial for the corruption case of the Bandung City Transportation Department project, which implicates former Secretary Ema Sumarna, has resumed. In the session, it was revealed that the project to solve the ‘Dark Bandung’ issue in 2022 was carried out without planning studies.
This fact was uncovered during the trial of the defendants, 3 members of the Bandung City Council Achmad Nugraha, Yudi Cahyadi and Riantono, as well as former Bandung City Council member Ferry Cahyadi at the Bandung Corruption Court, Jl Surapati, Bandung City, Tuesday (3/6/2025). The four testified for Ema Sumarna.
It is known that in 2022, a narrative emerged on social media about the ‘Dark Bandung’ issue. This narrative described the complex issues in the capital of West Java, ranging from rampant street crimes and thuggery, traffic congestion, to the city of Bandung being pitch dark at night.
The indictment stated that to solve the ‘Dark Bandung’ issue, in the 2022 Revised Regional Budget, an additional budget of around Rp 47.3 billion was allocated. This included Rp 19 billion for the procurement of public street lighting/environmental street lighting (PJU/PJL), Rp 5 billion for the procurement of CCTV smart cameras, and Rp 2.5 billion for the procurement of traffic light signals (APILL).
Apparently, this budget was proposed without going through a prior planning study process. This fact emerged when the KPK prosecutor questioned two former Bandung City Council members from the PDIP faction, Riantono and Achmad Nugraha.
In his question, KPK prosecutor Tony Indra grilled Riantono on why the budget to solve the ‘Dark Bandung’ issue was done without planning. Riantono then replied that the procurement was urgent because of the problems faced by Bandung City.
“Did you, as a member of the Budget Committee, question this proposal, was there any study from the Bandung City Transportation Department on the procurement of PJU/PJL, CCTV, was there any study from a technical expert or transportation department?,” asked Tony to Riantono.
“This is an emergency condition, Sir, Dark Bandung. So when it was Dark Bandung, we didn’t think about conducting studies first, Sir. This is an issue that must be solved by the Bandung City Government, not the budget committee,” Riantono replied.
A similar question was posed by Tony to Achmad Nugraha. He said, as the Chairman of the Bandung City PDIP, Achmad Nugraha admitted to receiving many complaints from his constituents in the field.
“There are many reports from constituents, the problems in Bandung are already extraordinary. So it’s already clear,” he said.
The trial also heated up when Tony Indra grilled Riantono on the reasons behind the Bandung City Transportation Department’s budget in the 2022 Revised Regional Budget. One of the defendant’s lawyers then expressed an objection because the prosecutor’s questions were considered too cornering and repeated.
“Objection, Your Honor, the prosecutor has been repeating whether this is a new program. This witness has already stated it was proposed before. The witness has been examined here, and we have recordings,” asserted one of the defendant’s lawyers.
“Just listen first. Listen first, then,” Tony Indra replied to the objection.
The atmosphere of the trial had to be cooled down by the Bandung Corruption Court Judge. After giving instructions, the trial could continue.
“Just listen first. The prosecutor is looking for legal facts, whether it’s true or not. If the defendant does not acknowledge it, please, we will evaluate it,” said the judge.
The trial is currently adjourned for a break. The trial will resume with the agenda of examining the defendant for Ema Sumarna.
It is known, Ema Sumarna is charged with giving bribes worth Rp 1 billion to facilitate several projects at the Bandung City Transportation Department. The illicit money was received by Achmad Nugraha Rp 200 million, Riantono Rp 270 million, Yudi Cahyadi Rp 500 million and Ferry Cahyadi Rp 30 million.
Besides giving bribes, Ema Sumarna is also charged by the KPK prosecutor with the accusation of receiving gratuities. In the description, the gratuities received by Ema amounted to Rp 626.7 million during 2020-2023.
Ema Sumarna is charged with multiple articles. Starting from Article 5 paragraph (1) letter b, Article 5 paragraph (1) letter a and Article 13 of Law Number 20 of 2001 concerning the Eradication of Corruption Crimes, Jo Article 55 paragraph (1) number 1 of the Criminal Code, Jo Article 64 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.
Ema Sumarna is also charged with violating Article 12B jo Article 18 of Law Number 20 of 2001 concerning the Eradication of Corruption Crimes, Jo Article 55 paragraph (1) number 1 of the Criminal Code, Jo Article 64 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.
Meanwhile, Achmad Nugraha, Yudi Cahyadi, Riantono, and Ferry Cahyadi are charged with violating Article 12 letter b Jo Article 18, Article 12 letter a Jo Article 18, and Article 11 Jo Article 18 of Law Number 20 of 2001 concerning the Eradication of Corruption Crimes, Jo Article 55 paragraph (1) number 1 of the Criminal Code, Jo Article 64 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.
(sud/sud)
