Bahtiar Baharuddin denies involvement in South Sulawesi pineapple seed corruption

Former Acting Governor of South Sulawesi, Bahtiar Baharuddin, testified in a corruption court in Makassar regarding the alleged corruption in the 2024 pineapple seed procurement program.

During the hearing on October 12, 2026, Bahtiar presented data and documentation to assert that he did not interfere with or direct the Department of Food Crops, Horticulture, and Plantation (DTPHBun) in the technical procurement process. He stated to the judges and prosecutors that he never assigned projects to regional apparatus organizations (OPD) or intervened in the program's planning.

Bahtiar further emphasized that the procurement was entirely within the technical authority of the DTPHBun and maintained that there were no illicit fund flows from the department or involved partners to him. He also noted that he was unaware of any budget increases within the department.