KPK to verify ministers' wealth reports next year

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has said it will verify the actual wealth of Cabinet ministers who have declared their assets starting early next year.

KPK deputy chairman Sjahruddin Rasul said on Friday that the commission would seek help from Bank Indonesia, the National Land Agency and other relevant bodies to cross-check whether the ministers' declarations are true.

"The verification of the actual wealth of the Cabinet members will follow the administrative examination of their wealth declarations, which will be completed in one month," he said.

The commission has so far finished the administrative verification of the wealth declarations of 16 of the 37 Cabinet members.

All of the Cabinet members have submitted their wealth declarations to the commission, which had set a deadline for this of Dec. 20.

Rasul said the same treatment would be given to legislators, councillors and other state officials.

"If we find something wrong with a wealth declaration, we will hand over the case to our prosecution division," Rasul said.

The Clean Government Law (No. 28/1999) and the KPK Law (No. 30/2002) requires state officials to declare their wealth one month after their inauguration and after the completion of their terms.

Also on Friday, the KPK made public the assets of six more ministers of the United Indonesia Cabinet. They were Minister of Home Affairs M. Ma'ruf, State Minister for Women's Empowerment Meutia Farida Hatta Swasono, State Minister for Administrative Reform Taufik Effendi, State Minister for State Enterprises Sugiharto, Minister of Defense Juwono Sudarsono and Minister of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Freddy Numberi.

Only Ma'ruf attended the press conference to announce the assets of the ministers. The retired general's assets amount to some Rp 3 billion (US$333,333), consisting of seven plots of land, with houses built on five of them, located in Bandung, Yogyakarta and in the same housing complex as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's private residence in Cikeas, Bogor.

He also owns four cars and has Rp 674 billion in the bank.

Meutia, a daughter of the country's first vice president Mohammad Hatta, reported Rp 37 billion and US$70,850 in assets. She has 20 plots of land in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok and Bekasi, a plantation, a jewelry collection and five cars. Most of the land was inherited.

Juwono declared assets amounting to Rp 4.8 billion and $90,000, consisting of three plots of land in Jakarta and Tangerang, two cars, jewelry and Rp 1.6 billion in the bank.

Taufik's property was valued at Rp 2.2 billion, and consisted of six plots of land in Kalimantan, Jakarta and Depok, two cars and Rp 100 million in the bank.

Sugiharto recorded Rp 32 billion and $540,000 in assets, including 21 plots of land, nine cars, jewelry and promissory notes worth Rp 10 billion.

Freddy declared a total of Rp 2.3 billion and $41,000, including four plots of lands in Jakarta and Jayapura, five cars and bank deposits worth Rp 1 billion.