Former Aceh Regional Secretary M. Nasir Syamaun has taken legal action by filing a counter-report against the party claiming to represent the "Disaster Victims Community." He deems the report submitted to the High Prosecutor's Office—alleging a demand for a 20–25 percent fee on disaster mitigation projects funded by TKD (Regional Financial Assistance) funds—to be slanderous and baseless.
M. Nasir Syamaun’s legal counsel, Fadjri, SH, stated that his client is pursuing legal recourse because the report (bearing information number 2026-A-03564) has defamed his client's reputation. He emphasized that the law must not be manipulated or used to serve specific vested interests.
"A report based on assumptions constitutes slander; the accuser must be able to prove the allegations. In the legal interest of our client, we are taking legal action to ensure that such slander and defamation against our client do not recur in the future," Fadjri explained in a written statement on Thursday, September 3, 2026.
According to Fadjri, during his tenure as Regional Secretary, his client had no direct involvement in the execution of the budget in question.
Under the provisions of Government Regulation Number 12 of 2019 concerning Regional Financial Management, the Regional Secretary serves as the coordinator of regional financial management. They are not the party directly responsible for executing, disbursing, or accounting for activity or project budgets—including the TKD funds used for hydrometeorological disaster mitigation. Fadjri also cited Aceh Qanun Number 3 of 2024 concerning Aceh Financial Management, which specifically stipulates that the Governor—as the holder of authority over Aceh's financial management—delegates this authority to the Regional Secretary (as the coordinator of Aceh's financial management), the Head of the Aceh Financial Management Agency (BPKA) (as the Aceh Financial Management Official/General Treasurer of Aceh), and the Heads of Aceh Regional Apparatus Work Units (SKPA) (as Budget Users for their respective units).
Based on this structure, Fadjri continued, the authority for budget execution for every activity—including the use of disaster relief funds and post-disaster projects—rests with the relevant Agency Head/SKPA Head acting as the Budget User (PA). In practice, this authority may be delegated to the Budget User Proxy (KPA), the Technical Activity Implementation Official (PPTK), and the Financial Administration Official (PPK) within each SKPA.
“The technical and administrative responsibility for the disbursement and utilization of project funds lies with the relevant agency head, not with the Regional Secretary, whose role is coordinative in nature,” Fadjri explained.
On that basis, Fadjri considers the allegations linking his client directly to the purported receipt of project fees and irregularities in project fund management to be baseless.
“We suspect that the report was deliberately fabricated and disseminated with a specific agenda, and this amounts to character assassination against our client.”
Fadjri believes there are parties currently making deliberate attacks on the Aceh Government using false issues.
He noted that the allegations of criminal acts related to disaster management directed at the former Aceh Regional Secretary have already been addressed through police investigations regarding slander and defamation; the accuser has been named a suspect and is currently standing trial at the Banda Aceh District Court under case register number 92/Pid.B/2026/PN Bna.
According to Fadjri, these allegations have caused an uproar among the people of Aceh, with slander and insults appearing across various social media platforms. He stated that the spread of hoaxes targeting the government not only damages its image but also erodes public trust and confidence among other local governments—particularly regarding the management of disaster relief funds contributed by local governments across Indonesia's provinces, regencies, and cities to the Aceh Government.
In its disaster response efforts, the Aceh Government received Rp32.904 billion in aid from other local governments; of this amount, Rp26.7 billion was disbursed as special financial assistance transferred directly to the accounts of disaster-affected regencies and cities in 2025, with the remainder distributed in January 2026.
Additionally, the Aceh Government allocated Rp80.9 billion in Unexpected Expenditure (BTT) funds from other sources—including Rp20 billion in presidential aid—which were utilized in accordance with the report submitted to the President via Letter Number 900.1/669, dated January 19, 2026. []
