Bawasda says no corruption in population agency

Bawasda says no corruption in population agency

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The head of the City Audit Agency (Bawasda) has said that his
office did not find any indications of corruption in the
Population and Civil Registration Agency, which was reported to
be one of the agencies with irregularities causing losses of Rp
820 billion to the state.

City Audit Agency head Firman Hutajulu made the statement on
Monday after meeting with the agency's officials, including its
head Silviana Murni, following a report from the Supreme Audit
Agency (BPK) last year that said it had found irregularities in
the agency's books.

He insisted that the irregularities were only mistakes in
procedures and administration and not because of embezzlement or
corruption.

"The focus of our investigation was centered on why the
computers that had been purchased were not installed until the
project's deadline had passed," Firman told the media from his
office in City Hall on Monday.

Firman was referring to a Rp 13.3 billion project, the
Population and Computerized Civil Registration System, at the
Population and Civil Registration Agency last year. The project
included the development of a computerized population
registration system worth Rp 7.9 billion, which is Rp 1.12
billion higher than the market price.

It told the city administration, among others, that the
project leader should be made responsible for the Rp 1.12
billion.

The finding was part of the BPK's audit results of the 2001
and 2002 city budget in the Population and Civil Registration
Agency, in which it found nine irregularities.

Irregularities totaling about Rp 820 billion were discovered
at eight institutions under the control of the city
administration and four city-owned companies.

Firman said agency head Silviana Murni, project leader Robert
Sitorus and the agency's business partners were among the
officials at the Population and Civil Registration Agency who had
been questioned by Bawasda.

Firman said his agency had not investigated BPK's allegations
of inefficiencies. He did not elaborate further.

He said based on an early investigation of the officials, the
agency concluded that there had been mistakes made in the
procedures and administration, which had caused the delay in
installing the online system.

"We decided that the agency's business partner should pay Rp
381 million or 5 percent of the total value of the project to the
city administration as compensation for the delay," Firman added.

He said that the cases in the Population and Civil
Registration Agency were the first follow-up to the BPK reports.
He also promised to follow the other cases up.

Meanwhile, Governor Sutiyoso also played down the BPK reports,
saying that the allegations of irregularities amounting to Rp 820
billion in the city administration were illogical. He promised,
however, to look into the matter and prosecute the guilty
parties.

"Some reports may prove to be true, while others could be a
case of slander, therefore we have to investigate them first,"
Sutiyoso said.

The eight institutions that were the target of the BPK audit
are the Central Jakarta and North Jakarta mayoralties, the City
Transportation Agency, the City Education and Training Office,
the City Tourism Agency, the City Population and Civil
Registration Agency, the religion and education sector and the
City Park Agency.

The four city-owned companies are PT Bank DKI, PT Food Station
Tjipinang Jaya (rice market), the city property company of PT
Jakarta Propertindo and the Ragunan Zoo.