PTP Agrintara may not refuse audit: Official<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A former director general of state-owned
\nenterprises yesterday confirmed that PTP Agrintara may not refuse
\nto be audited by the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP), even
\nthough it is not a state firm.<\/p>\n
Martiono Hadianto, the former director general, acknowledged
\nthat PTP Agrintara is not a state firm, even though it is wholly-
\nowned by state plantation firms.<\/p>\n
The company, however, may not reject an audit by BPKP because
\nthe latter uses the same Indonesian accounting standards in its
\naccounting practices as those used by private public accountants.<\/p>\n
\"What's their reason to reject BPKP? What's the difference
\nbetween BPKP and a private accountant? They are the same in terms
\nof their accounting standards, because both of them use the
\nIndonesian accounting standards,\" Martiono said.<\/p>\n
Martiono, who is presently an expert assistant to the minister
\nof finance, issued a letter -- dated Feb. 8, 1993 -- which is
\ncurrently being used by PTP Agrintara's president, Soeharno, in
\nsupport of his refusal of an audit by the comptroller because it
\nis not a state-owned company.<\/p>\n
The letter states that PTP Agrintara is not a state firm and,
\nas a result, is not required to comply with Presidential Decree
\nNo. 29\/1984 and President Instruction No. 1\/1988.<\/p>\n
Both presidential rulings concern the state firms' procurement
\nprocedures but not their accountability.<\/p>\n
Martiono contended that although PTP Agrintara is not a state
\nfirm, it may not refuse an audit by the government audit body.
\nFurthermore, he again stressed, the company is entirely owned by
\nstate plantation firms.<\/p>\n
\"Even if PTP Agrintara has been audited by a public
\naccountant, for instance, it may not refuse another audit by
\nBPKP,\" Martiono said.<\/p>\n
The comptroller's chairman, Soedarjono, sent letters, dated
\nMay 3, 1996, to the coordinating minister for economy and finance
\nand the finance minister asking for their help in advising PTP
\nAgrintara, which had refused an audit since 1994, to comply with
\nthe comptroller's request for an audit,<\/p>\n
However, PTP Agrintara's shareholders meeting on Oct. 12,
\n1994, agreed to appoint public accounting company Prasetio Utomo
\n& Rekan to audit the company's 1994 financial performance,
\ncharging a fee of Rp 8.5 million (US$3,600 at current rate),
\nexcluding taxes.<\/p>\n
Prasetio & Rekan had previously audited the company's 1993
\nperformance.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Director General of State Firms Bacelius Ruru said
\nyesterday that he still did not know the exact status of PTP
\nAgrintara. \"To be sure, I must check it first.\"<\/p>\n
\"What is certain is that PTP Agrintara must be audited by an
\naccountant, either BPKP or a public accountant ... If not, how
\ncan we monitor its performance?\" Ruru asked.<\/p>\n
A number of legislators, including Imam Churmem, Aberson Marle
\nSihaloho and Tadjudin Noer Said, have blasted PTP Agrintara for
\nits refusal for a BPKP audit.<\/p>\n
Tadjudin noted that even a joint venture between a state firm
\nand a private company could be audited by BPKP, let alone PTP
\nAgrintara,<\/p>\n
PTP Agrintara's refusal for an audit by BPKP has sparked
\nspeculation on what is going on with the company. It indicates
\nthat the company has problems, Martiono said.<\/p>\n
It has been reported that PTP Agrintara could not complete the
\nconstruction of its rubber processing project in Purwakarta, West
\nJava, and palm oil refinery project in Batam, Riau on time.<\/p>\n
Soeharno and Agriculture Minister Sjarifudin Baharsjah once
\nclaimed that the company, through PT Kalpataru Semesta, could not
\ncomplete the rubber processing project in Purwakarta on time
\nbecause there were many \"evil spirits\" hanging around the
\nproject.<\/p>\n
While the completion of the two projects are still uncertain,
\nMinister Sjarifuddin has assigned PTP Agrintara to build another
\npalm oil refinery in Batam. He has asked Finance Minister Mar'ie
\nMuhammad to provide a soft loan to PTP Agrintara to materialize
\nthe new project. (rid)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ptp-agrintara-may-not-refuse-audit-official-1447893297",
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