Antifraud drive nets only Rp 2.29b

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration has recovered a mere Rp 2.29 billion out of an estimated Rp 7.78 billion (US$972,500) embezzled by corrupt city officials since 1982, an official said on Tuesday.

The secretary to the city administration, Fauzi Bowo, said the funds had been recovered from among 86 cases of corruption unearthed in a number of city offices, including the supplies office, the sanitation agency and the public works office.

"The long time taken to recover the funds stems mainly from the fact that officials punished for their actions thought that if they avoided paying the penalties for long enough, the city administration would forget all about them," Fauzi said.

"But we did not," he added.

In 1997, the city administration set up a team with a remit to speed up the recovery of embezzled city funds.

Fauzi claimed that 21 of the 86 cases had been brought to a satisfactory conclusion. Another 10, he said, were in preliminary court proceedings because the guilty officials have refused or are unable to pay penalties imposed during internal disciplinary hearings.

"If the officials cannot afford to pay the penalties, the city administration has given them an option to pay by installments," Fauzi said.

"If they refuse to pay at all, then we will take them to court. We have already scored one victory in court when we forced a 56-year-old retired official identified only as U.S. to pay a penalty of Rp 450 million," he said.

Usman Sutedi Subki, who heads the finance agency, said that the family of one late official had been forced to pay a penalty imposed on him for corruption whilst he was still alive.

"We do not leave anybody alone," Usman said.

"All the corruption cases dating back to the early 1980s have been approved by the city's employee affairs bureau, supplies office, law office and the inspectorate office," he added.

Usman said that sanctions and penalties imposed on those found guilty of embezzling funds were determined by the governor himself.

He added that officials who did not pay immediately would not face any additional penalties.

"Most officials have been unable to pay the penalties handed down to them," he added. (ylt)