Yogyakarta councillors turn suspects in graft case<\/p>\n
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Prosecutors in Yogyakarta named on Friday six provincial
\ncouncillors as suspects in a graft case, only days after
\nsuspicion over a misuse of funds prompted the Yogyakarta governor
\nto cut 55 councillor's salaries by about two-thirds.<\/p>\n
\"We're waiting for permission from the Minister of Home
\nAffairs to investigate the six councillors, and to question
\nothers in the provincial legislature,\" said Yogyakarta
\nProsecutor's Office spokesman Ranu Mihardja. He declined to
\nidentify the suspects.<\/p>\n
He said a report by the Yogyakarta Corruption Watch (YCW),
\nwhich was received in September last year, prompted the
\ninvestigation.<\/p>\n
The YCW, he said, alleged that the suspects misused about Rp
\n120 million in state funds earmarked for paying their health
\ninsurance.<\/p>\n
Each of the six councillors was to pay Rp 20 million a year
\nfor the insurance, but it turned out that they paid only Rp 3
\nmillion and kept the rest for themselves, Ranu said.<\/p>\n
YCW also questioned the legitimacy of the health insurance,
\nsaying that councillors were entitled to receive only allowances.<\/p>\n
Investigators also discovered that the insurance money had
\ncome from the budget of the provincial administration when it
\nshould have been paid by the provincial legislature's own budget.<\/p>\n
\"We found out that the insurance fund was not the only
\nirregularity,\" Ranu added.<\/p>\n
He said that a total of Rp 1 billion in state funds had been
\nabused by the councillors. Ranu did not say whether prosecutors
\nonly suspected the six councillors in the case.<\/p>\n
The announcement of the suspects came just days after
\nYogyakarta Governor Sultan Hamengkubuwono X decided to stop
\npaying councillors any allowances starting this month.<\/p>\n
This has reduced the councillors' total monthly salary of Rp
\n6.2 million by almost two-thirds.<\/p>\n
The decision came following questions raised by the inspector
\ngeneral's office at the Ministry of Home Affairs on the use of
\nstate funds by the Yogyakarta Council.<\/p>\n
A meeting to address this problem is slated for next week
\nbetween the provincial administration, the council's budget
\ncommittee and officials from the inspector general's office.<\/p>\n
The prosecutor's announcement of the six suspects was
\ncriticized by several councillors.<\/p>\n
\"It amazes me. Why should there be only six suspects?\" said
\nthe council's deputy chairman, Nur Achmad Affandi.<\/p>\n
He said that if the abuses had occurred because the entire
\ncouncil had made a mistake than this should be the responsibility
\nof the council leaders.<\/p>\n
\"If it's considered a mistake of each councillor then all 55
\ncouncillors should be named suspects without any exception,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/yogyakarta-councillors-turn-suspects-in-graft-case-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}