Fifth suspect detained in Golo Welu–Orong road corruption case

Labuan Bajo — Prosecutors in Manggarai Barat, West Flores, have detained a fifth suspect in an alleged corruption case involving the reconstruction of the Golo Welu–Orong road, a project prosecutors say caused more than Rp1.8 billion in state losses.

According to the Manggarai Barat District Prosecutor’s Office as reported by local media, the latest detainee is Antonius Todo Hokon, 43, director of CV Sumba Satu Group and supervision consultant for the 2022 budget year of the road-reconstruction project.

He was named a suspect under a decision dated 29 September 2025 and taken into custody at the Manggarai Barat police detention facility for 20 days, from 29 September to 18 October 2025, following a health examination. Officials said he was detained after questioning at the prosecutor’s office in Labuan Bajo.

Alleged losses and legal basis

The case centres on reconstruction work on the Golo Welu–Orong road funded through the Manggarai Barat budget in the 2021 and 2022 fiscal years. The road project was valued at around Rp24 billion, with work carried out over two phases in 2021 and 2022.

Prosecutors say the project caused state financial losses of Rp1,838,973,271, based on calculations by an expert team from Kupang State Polytechnic. The breakdown presented by the prosecutors is Rp845,099,375 for the 2021 budget year and Rp993,873,895 for 2022.

Earlier statements from prosecutors and coverage by national media said the suspects are being investigated under Indonesia’s anti-corruption law, including Articles 2 and 3, in conjunction with Article 18, and related provisions of the Criminal Code on joint participation. As in all criminal proceedings, the suspects remain presumed innocent unless found guilty by a court.

Earlier detentions in the same case

The detention of Antonius Todo Hokon makes him the fifth suspect in the Golo Welu–Orong road case. Four earlier suspects were named and detained in September 2025.

On 9 September 2025, the Manggarai Barat prosecutors’ office announced four suspects linked to the road project: YJ, head of the highways division at the Manggarai Barat Public Works agency and the project’s commitment-making official; SB, director of PT Putri Clarisa Mandiri, the contractor; FSP, the supervision consultant for the 2021 work; and PS, the supervision consultant for 2022.

Three of the four — YJ, FSP and PS — were detained on 9 September 2025 after questioning, while SB was initially named as a suspect but not immediately taken into custody because he had not yet complied with a summons. SB was later detained on 18 September 2025 in relation to the same case.

Case status and next steps

By late October 2025, officials at the Manggarai Barat prosecutor’s office said they were preparing to transfer the case file for all five suspects to the Corruption Court in Kupang for trial. Subsequent reporting from the Kupang Corruption Court in March 2026 stated that the five defendants — including the two consultants, the contractor and the public works official — were convicted and sentenced to prison terms and fines over the Golo Welu–Orong project.

The court decision confirmed that the road project, carried out over the 2021 and 2022 budgets with a total contract value of around Rp24 billion, resulted in state losses of more than Rp1.8 billion, consistent with the expert assessment used by prosecutors.

The case has drawn attention in Labuan Bajo and surrounding areas, where road access is critical for tourism and local communities. Investigators previously told national media that losses were linked to reduced quality and quantity of works, including lower volumes than specified in the contract.

Sources

• Pos-Kupang.com
• Detikcom Bali – law and crime section
• KPK SIGAP
• VIVA.co.id