Agriculture office gets tough on graft
Agriculture office gets tough on graft
Antara, Jakarta
Minister of Agriculture Anton Aprijantono asserted on Sunday he
would continue to fight corruption at his ministry following a
finding that several companies, with the alleged complicity of
senior ministry officials, had allegedly produced substandard
poultry vaccines to combat the bird flu virus.
"We will take stern measures (against the perpetrators) as a
deterrent," said Anton, as quoted by Antara news agency on
Sunday.
The statement came only two days after auditors filed case
files with the Attorney General's Office on nine corruption cases
at the ministry involving Rp 733 billion (US$73.3 million), with
the substandard poultry vaccines high on the agenda. The
substandard bird flu vaccine has brought state losses amounting
to Rp 56.9 billion.
In the case file, the auditors with the ministry focus on four
companies hired to produce the vaccines that reportedly produced
low quality bird flu vaccine, thus sparking concern whether the
vaccine would really be effective. "The corruption has not only
brought material losses to the state but also reduced the vaccine
effectiveness to combat the bird flu virus or provide protection
for those chicken that need it," said a press release issued by
the ministry.
The charge was based on a finding that last year, the vaccine
protection level in Bali, East Java, Central Java and West Java
was a mere 11.8 percent to 28 percent.
Anton said filing the corruption cases with the Attorney
General's Office was part of his campaign against graft at the
ministry since he took office last year.
"Graft is widespread in the ministry and we need strong
measures to uproot it. This will act as a deterrent," said Anton.
Besides corruption in the making of bird flu vaccine, other
case files handed over to the Attorney General's Office included
embezzlement in the construction of slaughter houses and the
provision of agriculture equipment.
The minister said he and his office was open to receiving any
reports on graft committed by the ministry's officials.
Meanwhile, a four-year-old child has been admitted to hospital
with symptoms of bird flu in Tanggamus regency, Lampung province.
The latest suspected bird flu case was Herdi Septiawan, who was
rushed to a Bandar Lampung Hospital on Saturday after displaying
symptoms of bird flu. Herdi is the nephew of Hedriansyah, 21,
also suspected to have bird flu who has been hospitalized for the
past two weeks. Hedriansyah condition has reportedly been
improving since he was admitted to the hospital.
Herdi has brought the number of people admitted to hospital
with symptoms of bird flu in the regions to five. The other four
are Hedriansyah and three other people in Bandung and Semarang.
The Ministry of Health has confirmed four deaths due to bird
flu in the country, although the WHO has only confirmed three of
the cases.