KPU says campaign fund audit results 'satisfactory'<\/p>\n
M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Presidential candidates may breathe a sigh of relief, as the
\nGeneral Elections Commission (KPU) has completed an investigative
\naudit into their campaign sources and ruled that no further audit
\nwould be necessary, against suggestions from corruption watchdogs
\nover dubious funding.<\/p>\n
KPU member Mulyana W. Kusumah said on Thursday findings from
\nthe five public auditors tasked with probing the origins of
\ncampaign funds for all five candidates had proved adequate.<\/p>\n
\"All auditors have heeded the agreed-upon procedures in their
\nwork ... and we found it satisfactory,\" Mulyana said at a press
\nbriefing.<\/p>\n
Responding to demands from corruption watchdogs that the
\ncandidacies of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono-Jusuf Kalla and Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri-Hasyim Muzadi be put on hold pending clarification
\nof their \"fictitious\" funding sources, Mulyana said such a
\nmeasure was unnecessary.<\/p>\n
\"We have learned that the candidates' campaign teams agreed to
\nsurrender funds from dubious sources to the state coffers, so no
\nfurther legal measures should be taken,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) Transparency
\nInternational Indonesia and the Indonesian Corruption Watch
\nalleged earlier that the two candidates had received donations
\nfrom what appeared to be either non-existent or dubious sources.<\/p>\n
The Presidential Elections Law stipulates that candidates may
\nbe disqualified if they are proven to have accepted funds from
\nunclear or unidentified sources -- apart from the government,
\ngovernment-related sources and foreign institutions -- and if
\nthey failed to report the identities of the sources to the
\ncommission within 14 days.<\/p>\n
In a related development, the Indonesian Institute of
\nAccountants (IAI), an association grouping the country's public
\nauditors, said on Thursday that three of the five public
\naccounting offices appointed to conduct the investigative audit
\nwere those with questionable records.<\/p>\n
IAI chairman Ahmad Hadisubroto said auditors of Wiranto-
\nSolahuddin Wahid, Megawati-Hasyim and Amien Rais-Siswono
\nYudohusodo were those not trained to audit balance sheets for
\ncampaign funds in the special workshop held by the IAI in
\ncollaboration with the KPU.<\/p>\n
\"Out of 600 public accounting offices registered with the IAI,
\nI am absolutely baffled as to why the KPU chose those firms,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The accounting firms in question are: B. Bangun and Partners,
\nwhich audited the Wiranto-Solahuddin funds; Baehaqie and Partners
\nfor Megawati-Hasyim; and Bambang Sutjipto and Partners for Amien-
\nSiswono.<\/p>\n
Syafri Adnan Baharuddin, public sector head at the IAI, said
\nthe little-known accounting firms were given the jobs by the KPU
\nonly after more established firms had declined them.<\/p>\n
\"The big firms realized that they would make little profit
\nfrom the auditing work, while the risk was high,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Syafri said if the firms were found to have applied wrongful
\nprocedures in the campaign fund audit, the IAI would hand down
\nsevere penalties, including the revocation of their licenses.<\/p>",
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