Former Bali official allegedly committed suicide shortly before arrest for corruption
The former head of the National Land Agency (BPN) in Bali was found dead from a gunshot wound yesterday evening as he was about to be taken into custody, with authorities suspecting that the man committed suicide.
Police are now investigating the death of Tri Nugraha, who allegedly shot himself after being excused to go to the restroom following questioning related to a corruption case, which Tri was being investigated for. According to reports, authorities had been looking into his tenure as the head of BPN between 2007 and 2011, during which Tri allegedly abused his power to rack profits from issuing land certificates.
After he was questioned by investigators yesterday evening at the Bali High Court (Kejati Bali), Tri requested permission to go to the restroom just as he was about to be taken to Kerobokan Prison, during which time he allegedly shot himself.
He reportedly asked his legal representative to take a small bag that was kept in a locker, and went into the restroom with this item.
“After about two minutes a shot was heard from inside the toilet and after [authorities] forced open the door, the suspect was already hurt,” Hari Setiyono, a spokesman from the Attorney General’s Office, said today.
Hari added that a supervising team from the Attorney General’s Office has also launched an inquiry into the investigators involved in Tri’s case, to confirm that the investigation had been conducted according to the standard operating procedure.
The Bali Police are also conducting an investigation into Tri’s death.
“Right now we are looking for evidence. The cause of death, determining the weapon used, and [finding] proof of ownership for the weapon,” Dodi Rahmawan, who heads Bali Police’s criminal investigation unit, said.
Indonesia currently does not have a dedicated government-run suicide prevention hotline, but if you or anyone you know is suffering from depression and/or contemplating suicide, you can get more information and resources from several local NGOs dealing with mental health and suicide prevention, such as intothelightid.org.
Read more news and updates from Bali here.
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