Bureaucrat flees with Rp 1.5b of state funds<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra<\/p>\n
Police are hunting a financial controller from the North Sumatra
\nadministration for allegedly stealing money from the budget,
\nofficials have announced.<\/p>\n
Nurintan, 42, allegedly disappeared with Rp 1.5 billion
\n(US$176,470) from the province's 2003 budget, administration
\nspokesman Eddy Sofyan said on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The case surfaced on Nov. 19 after a project coordinator with
\nthe social affairs bureau, Hasbullah, asked Nurintan to disburse
\naid funds for flood victims.<\/p>\n
But the suspect ignored the request and one day later she
\nfailed to show up at her office, Eddy added.<\/p>\n
He said he had tried to contact Nurintan through her family on
\nJl. Bajak V in Medan, the provincial capital, but her husband
\nclaimed he had not seen her since Nov. 20.<\/p>\n
Eddy said his office had given until Dec. 7 for the suspect's
\nfamily to return the stolen funds. However, her family said they
\ncould not afford to repay the money because it was too large a
\nsum.<\/p>\n
The local administration has suspended Nurintan as a civil
\nservant, stopped paying her monthly salary, seized her assets and
\ninformed police.<\/p>\n
\"We reported the embezzlement case to police on Wednesday
\nnight. We hope the police will immediately arrest her,\" Eddy told
\nreporters at the gubernatorial office.<\/p>\n
The police have named Nurintan a suspect and are searching for
\nher.<\/p>\n
Muhammad Hasbi Nasution, social affairs bureau head at the
\nadministration, said social development funds under Nurintan's
\ncontrol between Jan. 1 and Nov. 19 amounted to more than Rp 3.4
\nbillion.<\/p>\n
He said Nurintan had performed well as was never reprimanded
\nfor any offense before she was allegedly involved in the graft
\ncase.<\/p>\n
\"I hope she will surrender soon to the police,\" Hasbi said.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bureaucrat-flees-with-rp-15b-of-state-funds-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }