Audit commission to verify officials' wealth

JAKARTA (JP): The Public Servants' Wealth Audit Commission (KPKPN) disclosed on Monday that only 18 percent of state officials had returned their wealth declaration forms, and of those, almost half contained irregularities.

Commission member Soekotjo Soeprapto said the commission would soon begin verifying 1,500 out of 3,126 wealth reports made by state officials and personally check their wealth.

"The commission has set up a team to make lists of those who will be questioned, and we will work in cooperation with university students to check their wealth," Soekotjo said.

He did not give the exact time of the verification, saying only "soon, very soon".

"We have prepared the team and the material to be verified," he said.

When asked what items in the declaration form needed to be verified, Soekotjo refused to elaborate.

"This shouldn't be published. We are afraid that some officials might prepare themselves if they know."

A total of 24,999 forms were distributed to state officials, military/police officers, judges and legislators in March. But since then, only 3,126 forms have been returned to the commission.

The names of those who have not submitted their forms will be announced in the media by the end of the month, he said.

He was speaking to reporters after attending a national dialog on commitment and the agenda of development agents toward good governance.

Soekotjo also aired his concerns on state officials who had yet to return the wealth declaration forms, saying, "with all due respect, I don't know what they are thinking. They have gone way beyond the deadline."

He said the officials should have returned the forms within a month after they received them.

"Our weakness is that we don't have the authority to give sanctions (to those who have not returned the forms), so our only recourse is to publish their names in the media," he said, adding that the move was part of the commission's commitment to the public.

While the establishment of the commission in January received a warm response from the public, observers have said that no one should have any high hopes as the commission lacks the legal authority to carry out investigations over any possible irregularities in reports.(emf/dja)