Auditors suspended for receiving bribes from KPU

Auditors suspended for receiving bribes from KPU

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Three auditors of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) assigned to
audit the General Elections Commission (KPU) have been suspended
for receiving bribes from the troubled Commission.

The agency's inspector for internal and special monitoring Omo
Dahlan identified the auditors on Monday as head of the audit
team for the KPU Djapiten Nainggolan, and team members M. Priyono
and Chaidar.

Omo said the sanctions were issued on Aug. 30.

He added that the rest of the 11 team members would also be
sanctioned -- ranging from dismissal to suspension, demotion or
delayed promotion.

During a recent questioning at the Corruption Eradication
Commission (KPK), Djapiten admitted to having received Rp 555
million (around US$55,500) from the KPU's deputy treasurer, M.
Dentjik.

The money was supposed to be distributed among the team, with
Djapiten's share being Rp 140 million.

Chaidar received Rp 107 million, while M. Priyono got Rp 58
million plus another Rp 50 million, which he had asked for
outside the Rp 555 million.

The rest of the money was given to the other team members.

Omo said that between five to 10 BPK auditors were sanctioned
every year for bribery in the course of their work.

Curiously, BPK deputy chairman Abdullah Zaini escaped
punishment despite receiving a Rp 100 million kickback from the
KPU when he was still active as a lawmaker.

The KPK is currently investigating the high-profile corruption
case at the KPU, which centers around the abuse of state funds
during the 2004 general election.

BPK chairman Anwar Nasution said the agency could not sanction
Zaini as the latter was, at the time of the wrongdoing, not a BPK
official, but a member of the House of Representatives.

"I guess he received the money when he was still in the House,
not as a member of the BPK. Besides, it was at the same time as
his child's wedding reception. I think it is common in our
culture to give wedding gifts in the form of cash," he said as
quoted by Antara.

Anwar added that it was the House's authority to sanction
Zaini, not the BPK's.

Meanwhile, BPK auditor Khairiansyah Salman, who helped the KPK
in uncovering the graft case at the KPU resigned from his post in
July.

Omo said the reason for his resignation was unclear and that
he had not been pressured to quit.

Last week, the Anticorruption Court sentenced KPU member
Mulyana W. Kusumah and the KPU's secretary-general Sussongko
Suhardjo to 31 months' and 30 months' imprisonment respectively,
for attempting to bribe a state auditor.

The bribe was for getting the state auditor to declare that
the KPU's orchestration of the general election was graft free.

Graft charges against other top KPU officials and members are
currently being heard in a separate trial.

The corruption charges centered around the mark-up of election
expenses including the procurement of election materials and
services. KPU officials have also been accused of collecting
millions of dollars in kickbacks from companies that won
procurement contracts from the KPU.