Conflicting testimonies cloud Bulog scandal

JAKARTA: Expert witness Hatomi Abdul Hamid, who is the former director of budget management for the Ministry of Finance, told the court on Monday that there are formal procedures for the use of non-budgetary state funds.

In the trial of the misappropriation of Rp 40 billion in State Logistics Agency (Bulog) funds that involves House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung, Hatomi underlined that there should be an official report and a formal bid to pick the project organizer.

Akbar, who was then minister/cabinet secretary, failed to make an official report about the use of the state funds and abused his power by appointing the Raudlatul Jannah Foundation to organize the distribution of food to the poor in 1999.

The court also heard five witnesses who gave conflicting testimonies in the hearing. -- JP