AGO loses most taxpayer money
AGO loses most taxpayer money
Kurniawan Hari, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Attorney General's Office (AGO), the nation's frontline in
eradicating corruption and guarding the state coffers, was
declared by the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) on Thursday as the
country's top state "money abuser" last year, in the category of
state fund management.
Speaking before the House of Representatives' (DPR) plenary
session, BPK Chairman Satrio Budihardjo Joedono disclosed that
the AGO had misused 95 percent of the total Rp 11.99 billion
(US$2.35 million) non-taxable state funds (PNBP) which had been
audited by BPK for the second semester 2003.
"The highest percentage of impropriety was found in the
administration of PNBP at the Attorney General's Office," Joedono
said.
He also said that the lowest percentage of impropriety
occurred at the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration. His
office, however, still found that a whopping Rp 3 billion had
gone missing, or about 1.29 percent of the total of Rp 239
billion allocated for the sector.
An audit of the 2003 state budget revealed that the leakage of
state funds reached over Rp 365 billion or 6.15 percent of the
total Rp 5.94 trillion that was audited.
In addition to the PNBP fund, the AGO also outdid other state
agencies with their inefficiency in the category of development
spending.
"In auditing development expenses, the highest percentage of
highest misuse of was also found at the AGO," said Joedono, who
will soon end his five-year term in office.
He cited the construction of buildings in Banten province,
wherein 95 percent of the Rp 118 million allocated for the
project was not accounted for.
Also in the development category, the lowest amount of
impropriety occurred in the National Information Institute (LIN)
at Rp 29 million, or 0.37 percent of Rp 7.9 billion.
Besides the impropriety in state income, BPK also found
irregularities in the routine and development expenses of the
2003 state budget. They showed improprieties amounting to 9.61
percent and 2.96 percent, respectively.
Joedono has often complained that his office's findings were
just simply dismissed by the government of Megawati Soekarnoputri
or received no response at all from the National Police, AGO or
any of other legal entity.
Joedono on Thursday expressed concern over the poor rate of
settling cases that his office had reported earlier. Of 5,881
cases causing Rp 2 trillion in state losses reported, only 155
cases worth Rp 6.5 billion or 0.32 percent have been settled.
In his report to the House, Joedono pointed out that he had
sent four irregularity cases, including the Bank Indonesia
liquidity support facility (BLBI) and irregularities committed by
the Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency (IBRA) to the AGO for
further legal investigation. He did not specifically say what, if
any, response was by Attorney General M.A. Rachman to the report.
Rachman also is not free from corruption allegations. In 2002,
he nearly lost his job following corruption allegations from a
former close aide. Ignoring public outcry, however, Megawati, who
appointed him, assured Rachman that she would not let anyone
investigate him.
Meanwhile, regarding the expenditures at the defense ministry,
the Indonesian military (TNI), and the National Police, BPK found
an average impropriety of 8.69 percent.
The biggest percentage of impropriety at 11.88 percent of Rp
59.75 billion (or Rp 7 billion) was found at the National Police
while the lowest percentage at 3.23 percent of Rp 79 billion (or
2.5 billion) is found at the Air Force.
Joedono used his last hearing with the House on Thursday to
say farewell them. He did not mention in his speech whether he
would be available for another term.