Kupang Mayor reported for alleged corruption

Kupang Mayor reported for alleged corruption

Yemris Fointuna and Rusman, The Jakarta Post, Kupang/Samarinda

A non-governmental organization has reported Kupang Mayor Samuel
Kristian Lerik to the local prosecutor's office for allegedly
misappropriating Rp 1.4 billion (US$148,936) of the municipal
budget.

The corruption charge was leveled at the mayor following a
recent finding that there was an inconsistency in the
accountability speech given by the mayor, said Sarah Lery Mbuik,
the chairwoman of the Association of Initiative Development and
People's Advocacy (PIAR).

The mayor said in the report that the municipal government had
spent a contingency fund amounting to Rp 13.4 billion last year.
The fund, obtained from the central government, was spent to
finance routine expenditure such as the salaries of civil
servants.

But, when PIAR checked with the Budget Directorate at the
Ministry of Finance in Jakarta, it was discovered that the
ministry had dispersed a contingency fund amounting to Rp 14.9
billion to the municipal government, much more than the mayor
claimed in the accountability report.

"There is a difference of Rp 1.5 billion. Where did the money
go?" asked Mbuik on Tuesday.

Rudi Prayitno, the deputy chief of East Nusa Tenggara
Prosecutor's Office, said that his office had received the NGO's
report and pledged to follow it up.

Earlier, the mayor has denied any wrongdoing and even
threatened to report the NGO to the police for defamation.

Meanwhile, in the neighboring province of West Nusa Tenggara,
a local prosecutor's office here named suspect a senior local
politician on Tuesday in a Rp 24.2 billion (US$2.6 million) graft
case.

Maryadi, a senior prosecutor, accused Sunardi Ayub, the head
of West Nusa Tenggara Legislative Council, of having taken Rp 850
million out of a total Rp 24.2 billion in funds, which had
already been declared evidence in another corruption case.

With Ayub's consent, the Rp 850 million was then distributed
to all provincial councillors, said Maryadi, as reported by
Antara news agency. The West Nusa Tenggara Prosecutor's Office
has already named 11 councillors suspects and investigation into
other councillors is underway.

Separately in the East Kalimantan capital of Samarinda,
prosecutors here questioned on Tuesday Kasyful Anwar As'ad, a
former councillor in the province in connection with the
misappropriation of Rp 51 billion of the council's budget last
year. Kasyful, the former deputy speaker of East Kalimantan
provincial council, was questioned as a witness in the case.