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.