AGO loses most taxpayer money<\/p>\n
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Attorney General's Office (AGO), the nation's frontline in
\neradicating corruption and guarding the state coffers, was
\ndeclared by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) on Thursday as the
\ncountry's top state \"money abuser\" last year, in the category of
\nstate fund management.<\/p>\n
Speaking before the House of Representatives' (DPR) plenary
\nsession, BPK Chairman Satrio Budihardjo Joedono disclosed that
\nthe AGO had misused 95 percent of the total Rp 11.99 billion
\n(US$2.35 million) non-taxable state funds (PNBP) which had been
\naudited by BPK for the second semester 2003.<\/p>\n
\"The highest percentage of impropriety was found in the
\nadministration of PNBP at the Attorney General's Office,\" Joedono
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He also said that the lowest percentage of impropriety
\noccurred at the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration. His
\noffice, however, still found that a whopping Rp 3 billion had
\ngone missing, or about 1.29 percent of the total of Rp 239
\nbillion allocated for the sector.<\/p>\n
An audit of the 2003 state budget revealed that the leakage of
\nstate funds reached over Rp 365 billion or 6.15 percent of the
\ntotal Rp 5.94 trillion that was audited.<\/p>\n
In addition to the PNBP fund, the AGO also outdid other state
\nagencies with their inefficiency in the category of development
\nspending.<\/p>\n
\"In auditing development expenses, the highest percentage of
\nhighest misuse of was also found at the AGO,\" said Joedono, who
\nwill soon end his five-year term in office.<\/p>\n
He cited the construction of buildings in Banten province,
\nwherein 95 percent of the Rp 118 million allocated for the
\nproject was not accounted for.<\/p>\n
Also in the development category, the lowest amount of
\nimpropriety occurred in the National Information Institute (LIN)
\nat Rp 29 million, or 0.37 percent of Rp 7.9 billion.<\/p>\n
Besides the impropriety in state income, BPK also found
\nirregularities in the routine and development expenses of the
\n2003 state budget. They showed improprieties amounting to 9.61
\npercent and 2.96 percent, respectively.<\/p>\n
Joedono has often complained that his office's findings were
\njust simply dismissed by the government of Megawati Soekarnoputri
\nor received no response at all from the National Police, AGO or
\nany of other legal entity.<\/p>\n
Joedono on Thursday expressed concern over the poor rate of
\nsettling cases that his office had reported earlier. Of 5,881
\ncases causing Rp 2 trillion in state losses reported, only 155
\ncases worth Rp 6.5 billion or 0.32 percent have been settled.<\/p>\n
In his report to the House, Joedono pointed out that he had
\nsent four irregularity cases, including the Bank Indonesia
\nliquidity support facility (BLBI) and irregularities committed by
\nthe Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) to the AGO for
\nfurther legal investigation. He did not specifically say what, if
\nany, response was by Attorney General M.A. Rachman to the report.<\/p>\n
Rachman also is not free from corruption allegations. In 2002,
\nhe nearly lost his job following corruption allegations from a
\nformer close aide. Ignoring public outcry, however, Megawati, who
\nappointed him, assured Rachman that she would not let anyone
\ninvestigate him.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, regarding the expenditures at the defense ministry,
\nthe Indonesian military (TNI), and the National Police, BPK found
\nan average impropriety of 8.69 percent.<\/p>\n
The biggest percentage of impropriety at 11.88 percent of Rp
\n59.75 billion (or Rp 7 billion) was found at the National Police
\nwhile the lowest percentage at 3.23 percent of Rp 79 billion (or
\n2.5 billion) is found at the Air Force.<\/p>\n
Joedono used his last hearing with the House on Thursday to
\nsay farewell them. He did not mention in his speech whether he
\nwould be available for another term.<\/p>",
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