Bogor councillors in the hot seat
Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post/Bogor
Forty-five Bogor councillors are being investigated by the Bogor Prosecutor's Office over the alleged misappropriation of more than Rp 5.5 billion (US$617,977) from the 2002 council budget, a prosecutor said on Monday.
Top prosecutor Kornelis Lere said former council chairman M. Sahid, now the deputy mayor, was a suspect in the case. Twenty of the councillors were reelected in the April election, he said.
Prosecutors planned to summon the former councillors soon, but would have to seek approval from West Java governor Danny Setiawan to investigate the active councillors.
On Monday, prosecutors questioned the council secretary for the 1999 to 2004 period, Sambas Bratasonjaya, council treasurer Asep Saeful Hidayat and deputy M. Yusuf, both who were still working in the office.
The prosecutors' investigation found the councillors allegedly siphoned a total of over Rp 5.5 billion from the 2002 budget for their welfare fund.
Citing the now-defunct Government Regulation No. 110/2000 on council budgets, Lere said the councillors took more than they were allowed for what they said was a housing allowance.
Article 14, line 3 of the regulation specifically stated that the council of an administration which receives annual revenue of between Rp 20 billion and Rp 50 billion can only set a maximum of Rp 500 million in welfare funds.
"In 2002, the Bogor council only received Rp 31 billion in revenue ... on Jan. 14 the councillors set their welfare funds.
"They have claimed the council chairman and three deputies received Rp 40 million of housing allowance each, while the 41 members received Rp 35 million each. We will seek to find out more about the use of this money," Lere said.
The total amount the council claimed, of more than Rp 1.53 billion, is still more than three times higher than that allowed in regulation No. 110/2000.
Lere said the investigation of a breach of a now-defunct regulation was valid because the offense had allegedly taken place in 2002, while the regulation was not revoked until Sept. 9, 2003.