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.