Irregularities found in Bulog's funds<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP) has
\nfound irregularities of about Rp 166 billion (US$19.5 million) in
\nthe nonbudgetary funds belonging to the State Logistics Agency
\n(Bulog), a member of the House of Representatives said on Monday.<\/p>\n
Chairman of the House's Commission III Widjanarko Puspoyo said
\nthat Bulog's accounts at several banks showed a balance of Rp 416
\nbillion instead of Rp 250 billion as recorded on Bulog's balance
\nsheet.<\/p>\n
\"The amount of the money in the banks does not match the
\namount on Bulog's nonbudgetary balance sheet,\" Widjanarko told
\nreporters following a meeting with BPKP's deputy for special
\naffairs Irwan Sofyan.<\/p>\n
Widjanarko said that Bulog's nonbudgetary funds were kept in
\n116 accounts at various banks, including state Bank Mandiri, Bank
\nDuta and Bank Bukopin.<\/p>\n
BPKP, he said, conducted an audit on the use of Bulog's
\nnonbudgetary funds for the period between January 1998 to
\nDecember 1999.<\/p>\n
He said it was unclear how the difference could have occurred
\nas BPKP had failed to conduct a comprehensive audit because of a
\nlack of information.<\/p>\n
\"We don't even know how long Bulog has managed nonbudgetary
\nfunds,\" he added.<\/p>\n
Bulog was established in the late 1960s as a government agency
\nresponsible for the purchase and price stabilization of basic
\ncommodities, especially rice. The agency, which uses the state
\nbudget to finance itself, has accumulated trillions of rupiah
\nfrom its operations and puts the funds into its own accounts.<\/p>\n
BPKP said the audit indicated that Bulog might have managed
\nnonbudgetary funds since before 1998.<\/p>\n
This indication, he said, was seen in Bulog's ability to avoid
\na negative balance sheet, although it suffered losses of Rp 290
\nbillion during the audit period.<\/p>\n
BPKP's audit recorded an income of only Rp 2.6 trillion
\ncompared to Rp 2.89 trillion in spending throughout the two-year
\naudit period.<\/p>\n
\"What could it have covered the difference with, if not with
\nthe credit balance from the previous year\" he said, adding that
\nBulog might, therefore, have nonbudgetary funds from at least
\n1997.<\/p>\n
\"We need clarification of how long Bulog has been using
\nnonbudgetary funds and how it can account for their usage,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
He said most of the Rp 2.8 trillion was used for purposes
\noutside Bulog activities, but added that no details where
\navailable about this.<\/p>\n
Widjanarko criticized the state audit board for failing to
\ntrack down the existence of Bulog's nonbudgetary funds.<\/p>\n
Given the lack of available data, Commission III further
\ndoubts BPKP's audit on Bulog.<\/p>\n
However, both BPKP and Commission III had agreed to conduct a
\nsecond audit on Bulog's nonbudgetary funds, he said.<\/p>\n
\"What we want now is a reconstruction of the flow of Bulog's
\nnonbudgetary funds,\" he said.<\/p>\n
BPKP, he said, had recommended the second audit to Bulog
\nchairman Rizal Ramli, which he approved.<\/p>\n
Widjanarko said the audit would be conducted over the same
\nperiod as the first audit, although Bulog's nonbudgetary funds
\nmight have existed earlier.<\/p>\n
Commission III also recommended that all nonbudgetary funds of
\nBulog be transferred into budgetary funds, as to have better
\naccountability of their usage.<\/p>\n
BPKP met Commission III in connection with the Bulog loan
\nscandal, which centers around the disbursement of Rp 35 billion
\nfrom the Bulog employee foundation Yanatera, and allegedly
\ninvolves close associates of President Abdurrahman Wahid.<\/p>\n
The scandal lead to the resignation of then acting state
\nsecretary and secretary of government supervision Bondan Gunawan,
\nwho maintained he had nothing to do with the scam.<\/p>\n
Under the government of then president Soeharto, Bulog had
\nbeen one of the cash cows for the government's nonbudgetary
\nprojects.<\/p>\n
Close associates of Soeharto had allegedly often garnered
\nfunds from Bulog for their own business purposes.(bkm)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/irregularities-found-in-bulogs-funds-1447893297",
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