Food Project Fraud Trial in Sleman Court Draws Victims Claiming Billions in Losses

The Sleman District Court in Yogyakarta is holding a trial for an alleged food project fraud case, drawing a crowd of victims who claim to have lost billions of rupiah. The defendant, identified as Aceng Tata, 42, director of PT Rajawali 83, faces charges related to a fictitious rice supply project for correctional facilities.

During the hearing, presided over by Chief Judge Jayadi Husain, four key witnesses were presented to shed light on the defendant's alleged modus operandi. One witness, Rina Andriani, representing PT Berbagai Sesama Indah (BSI), detailed how Tata, along with an accomplice now a fugitive, offered a lucrative partnership for supplying premium rice to prisons. The offered price was reportedly Rp13,300 per kilogram.

Andriani explained that Tata employed an "exclusive project" tactic to build trust, refusing to provide a written contract draft to maintain the supposed exclusivity of the deal. This strategy, she claimed, led to substantial losses for two involved victims, totaling over Rp3.2 billion.

The Public Prosecutor's Office of Sleman has charged Tata with multiple offenses. These include fraud under Article 492 of Law No. 1 of 2023, embezzlement under Article 372 of the Criminal Code, and business fraud as a livelihood under Article 497 of Law No. 1 of 2023. Additionally, Tata faces charges of money laundering under Article 607(1)(a) of Law No. 1 of 2023.