Council finds Rp 13.9b malfeasance in KPUD
Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
After two weeks of inquiries, the City Council said on Monday that it uncovered irregularities totaling Rp 13.9 billion (US$1.45 million) in the Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD) Rp 168.6 billion 2004 budget and would submit its findings to its chairman.
The council said that KPUD Jakarta had marked up the prices of electoral staff vests resulting in state losses reaching Rp 9.7 billion and failed to pay income and value-added taxes amounting to Rp 4.2 billion.
Chairman of Council Commission A on legal and administrative affairs Achmad Suaidy said that the commission would submit its final recommendation to the City Council speaker, who would pass the report on to the City Audit Agency (Bawasda) and Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).
"It is the City Council speaker who will decide whether or not the case can be submitted to law enforcers," said Suaidy, who hails from the United Development Party (PPP) faction.
Commission secretary Raja Natal Sitinjak said the commission had no authority to directly submit its findings to external institutions such as the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
"The council's authority is only limited to monitoring the city budget. We can seek clarification for alleged irregularities in the use of the funds, but we can only report the findings to relevant agencies for further follow-up," Raja said.
The commission said that it would recommend the dismissal of KPUD officials responsible and would urge law enforcers, including the KPK to pursue the irregularities by the electoral commission as well as the city administration for failing to provide clear guidelines for the KPUD.
However, councillor Rois Hadayana Syaugie of the Prosperous Justice Party faction called on law enforcers to be proactive in pursuing the case amid strong indications of corruption and markups made by the KPUD.
"We allege tax evasion as KPUD members have failed pay their income taxes and value-added taxes totaling Rp 4.2 billion," said Rois.
The commission also found alleged fictitious tender processes and markups in the procurement of 180,000 vests for KPUD electoral staff that cost Rp 12 billion (or Rp 66,700 per piece) by the KPUD. The price was far higher than the market price of Rp 25,000, he said.
"There have been alleged markups and manipulation in the rental fees at the offices for the KPUD in the Thousand Islands regency, which reportedly cost Rp 110 million," he said, adding that KPUD chairman M. Taufik should be held responsible for the irregularities.
Separately, councillor Solekhan Sularno of the Democratic Party faction admitted that there had been a tug-of-war among commission members during their closed-door meeting late last week.
Some councillors wanted the commission to pass its report directly to law enforcers, but some others emphasized that the report had to be submitted to Bawasda and BPK only.
"Since the majority of the commission members want the relevant antigraft agencies to tackle the problems in the KPUD, we all went along with the decision (to submit the report to the council chairman)," he said.