BPK reveals Rp 69b graft in Bekasi
Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Prosperous Justice Party faction (FPKS) at the Bekasi council says it will report several Bekasi municipal officials to the prosecutor's office for embezzling the 2004 budget.
PKS faction chairman Wahyu Prihantono said his faction had the evidence and documents needed to report the Rp 69 billion (US$6.9 million) graft case within two weeks.
"We have ample evidence that the city budget was abused. After preparing the necessary documents, we will report the case to the Bekasi Prosecutor's Office," he said.
On July 7, the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) released the results of an audit on the regency's 2004 budget. The report indicates that over Rp 69 billion of the 2004 budget was misused.
Wahyu said there were strong indications that the matter had caused the state to lose a huge amount of money and that the money was taken by an individual for personal use.
"So, we believe that under the law it is a corruption case. We demand a legal investigation," he said.
The faction is also demanding that Bekasi Mayor Akhmad Zurfaih be held accountable for the alleged graft.
Bekasi secretary Tjandra Utama refused to comment on the matter, saying he had not seen any documents to support the report.
"We haven't seen any documents obtained by the PKS. After studying the report, we will give a response," he said.
The alleged graft is only one of many corruption cases involving governors, mayors and regents in the country in the past year.
There have been claims that regional autonomy had merely moved corrupt practices from the central government to regional administrations.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered the Attorney General's Office two weeks ago to investigate 10 regional heads and their deputies for alleged involvement in misusing regional budgets.
Among those being investigated are East Java's Pasuruan Regent Jusbakir Al Jufri and his deputy Muzamil Syafikri, East Nusa Tenggara's Kupang deputy regent Ruben Funai, Bali's Klungkung deputy regent Ngakan Putu Gede, East Java's Malang Mayor Bambang Priyo Utomo and Papua's Jaya Wijaya Regent David Agustin Hubi.
Badrul Kamal, which was declared winner of the Depok mayoral election by the West Java High Court, has also been implicated in a Rp 43.9 billion graft case.
In his report in front of the House of Representatives on Feb. 14, former National Police chief Gen. Da'i Bachtiar named Badrul a graft suspect.
On March 17, however, police changed his status from suspect to witness without any explanation.