Audit agency attempts to recover trillions<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Agriculture has accounted for Rp 125 million
\nfollowing its settlement of 35 financial-related irregularities
\nvalued at Rp 14.99 billion discovered by the State Audit Agency
\n(BPK) in its 1999 and 2000 reports.<\/p>\n
The ministry is one of eight which made public their findings
\non Tuesday in order to settle a total of 1,643 cases of
\nirregularities amounting to Rp 3.2 trillion in potential losses.<\/p>\n
The other ministries, which are among the first batch to
\ncomplete reports for the office of the state ministry of
\nadministrative reform, included the ministry of defense, finance,
\nnational education, foreign affairs, energy and mineral
\nresources, transportation, and the ministry of resettlement and
\nregional infrastructure.<\/p>\n
State Minister of Administrative Reforms Feisal Tamin, whose
\noffice supervises the ministries' efforts, told reporters at his
\noffice that the ministries' reports had been reported and
\nendorsed by BPK.<\/p>\n
He also said that most of the cases were inherited from past
\nadministrations but were still recorded in each of their reports
\nto the audit agency because the cases were still pending.<\/p>\n
"Now we want to make sure of transparency and clarification of
\neach of our efforts to create a good and clean form of
\ngovernance," he added.<\/p>\n
During the media briefing, Ministry of Agriculture
\nInspectorate General A.H. Rahadian said that his office has also
\ntaken severe action against a total of 42 staffers implicated in
\nvarious budget abuses.<\/p>\n
Ministry of National Education Inspectorate General Muljani A.
\nNurhadi claimed the office had recovered two-thirds of the Rp
\n8.64 billion in losses to the state.<\/p>\n
"The BPK discovered Rp 66 billion in possible losses, but the
\nexisting misuse of the budget was Rp 8.64 billion. We have
\nreturned Rp 5.73 billion of it and are still working to settle
\nthe rest of the cases," he said.<\/p>\n
The ministry has also handed down severe punishments,
\nincluding dismissals to 156 staffers for violating regulations on
\ncivil employment and also for implications in the misuse of the
\nstate budget.<\/p>\n
In its regular report last year, BPK revealed irregularities
\nand abuses with the state budget which were projected to bring
\nthe total loss to Rp 3.2 trillion. The amount was derived from
\nthe disappearance of Rp 1.4 trillion from regional budgets, Rp
\n1.2 trillion from state-owned enterprises, Rp 608 billion from
\nthe state budget and another Rp 1 billion found to be missing
\nfrom the Treasury Endowment Body (BPH).<\/p>\n
Most of the cases reportedly stem from administrative
\ndisorder, unrealistic project targets and cases that are related
\nto an inefficient use of the budget.<\/p>\n
Ministry of Defense Inspectorate General Lt. Gen. Suharto said
\nthat the ministry has identified most of the Rp 46.91 billion of
\npotential losses.<\/p>\n
"We are still monitoring the use of Rp 3.85 billion at the
\nNational Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) to finance the students'
\nofficial travel and of Rp 1.32 billion at the ministry's human
\nresource affairs office which is used to provide accommodations
\nfor the civil security guards (Kamra) in troubled provinces," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Ministry of Finance Inspectorate General Agus Haryanto claimed
\nthe office had resolved the cases which may have caused Rp 13.34
\nbillion in losses and was still working on the remaining six
\ncases with potential losses of Rp 2.33 billion.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/audit-agency-attempts-to-recover-trillions-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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