Bulog funds went to individuals: PDI Perjuangan
Annastashya Emmanuelle, The Jakarta post, Jakarta
A senior official of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) said on Tuesday the ongoing investigation by party legislators had discovered that misused State Logistics Agency (Bulog) non-budgetary funds had gone to private institutions and individuals.
Speaking after a weekly meeting, PDI Perjuangan deputy chairman Roy B.B. Janis said the finding dismissed earlier allegations that most of the misappropriated Bulog funds had been channeled to political parties to finance their 1999 election campaigns.
"I can't reveal our team's findings in detail just yet, but most of the money went to individuals and some foundations.. not to finance the 1999 election campaign," Roy said.
Speculation has been rife that at least four major parties -- PDI Perjuangan, Golkar, the United Development Party and the National Awakening Party -- received Bulog funds ahead of the 1999 election.
PDI Perjuangan, Roy said, had set up the team to investigate the alleged misuse of Rp 2.6 trillion Bulog funds, which took place between January 1999 and December 2000.
Roy, who also chairs the PDI Perjuangan faction in the House of Representatives, said the nine-member team was expected to announce the outcome of its investigation in May, when the House resumes from recess.
Roy said the team, headed by Sukono, a member of House Commission III for agriculture, forestry and food affairs, was established in March and was supposed to complete its investigations in one month.
"We decided to give them another month considering the fact that this is a big case involving Rp 2.6 billion rupiah," Roy said.
Party chairman Megawati Soekarnoputri was absent from the meeting as she is on an overseas trip.
Roy said that the report does not differ much from earlier findings of Commission III.
In a report received by former attorney general Marzuki Darusman in 2000 by Widjanarko Puspojo -- then deputy chief of the House Commission III and now the current Bulog chief -- as much as Rp 2.6 trillion of Bulog's non-budgetary funds were corrupted since 1994.
Marzuki Darusman confirmed last week that he had received notes of meetings conducted by House Commission III to discuss the findings.
The legislators obtained the material from the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) and the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP).
BPKP launched a special investigation into Bulog in October 1998 following the discovery of significant discrepancies in Bulog's non-budgetary funds.
In its 36-page report, BPKP found that Bulog had disbursed the money for various expenditures unrelated to its mission, including investment in firms of former president Soeharto, his family, cronies and their foundations.
Marzuki suggested that the House of Representatives provide all the necessary evidence to enable a formal investigation of the misappropriated funds.
Another scandal involving Bulog plagued former president Abdurrahman Wahid last year.
House Speaker Akbar Tandjung is standing trial for allegedly misusing Rp 54.6 billion of Bulog funds when he was minister/state secretary in 1999.