BPK told to continue audits on vote body

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said it was ready to assist the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) in conducting investigative audits into several projects carried out by the General Elections Commission (KPU) during last year's general elections.

KPK chairman Taufiequrrahman Ruki said that cooperation between the commission and BPK should help speed up the ongoing investigations into alleged corruption in the KPU.

"The KPK is ready to help and facilitate (the BPK audit)," he told reporters, after receiving a BPK audit report on the use of state funds by the KPU in the procurement of general election materials.

As previously reported, the BPK audit report highlighted irregularities in the procurement of election materials, causing some Rp 90 billion in financial losses to the state.

Taufiequrrahman said that the KPK would quickly follow up on the BPK audit report.

The BPK was supposed to launch an investigative audit into 10 other election-related projects conducted by KPU amid widespread suspicion of corruption in the use of state funds, but the audit agency said recently it would not be able to implement the request because the necessary documents had been seized by KPK in relation to the ongoing graft probe.

Meanwhile, KPU deputy chairman Ramlan Surbakti admitted on Friday that all KPU members had received "honorariums" outside of their monthly salary. Minister of Justice and Human Rights Hamid Awaluddin, a former KPU member, also made the same confession, but insisted the money was not derived from kickbacks from private firms that had won supply deals from the KPU.

KPU treasurer Hamdani Amin had previously said that the commission had received some Rp 20 billion in kickbacks from private firms and that the money had been distributed among all KPU members, staff and even people outside the commission.

Hamdani is one of three KPU officials declared by the KPK as a suspect in a bribery case against a BPK auditor, the entry point used by the KPK to investigate alleged corruption in the KPU.

Elsewhere, KPK deputy Tumpak Panggabean said that the commission was investigating the possibility that the amount of kickbacks obtained by KPU from private firms was much higher than the Rp 20 billion claimed by Hamdani.

"There is a discrepancy between the confession made by Hamdani and the findings of BPK. We'll uncover this," Tumpak said.

The KPK on Friday continued its investigations by questioning several KPU officials as it is under pressure to declare more suspects in the case, particularly high profile figures.