Mega gets third notice from anticorruption body

Mega gets third notice from anticorruption body

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has sent its third
warning letters to former president Megawati Soekarnoputri and
her Cabinet members as the Dec. 21 deadline for wealth reports
looms.

M. Yasin, KPK director handling government officials' wealth
reports, told reporters on Wednesday that only former vice
president Hamzah Haz and former tourism and cultural minister I
Gede Ardika had submitted their reports.

"Ibu Mega reported her wealth before presidential elections
began in July, but she has not yet sent us the report on her
latest wealth obtained between that time and the end of her
presidency in October," Yasin said.

Megawati, who is also the leader of the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI-P), reportedly bought a house on Jl. Teuku
Umar in an upmarket area of Menteng worth Rp 20 billion just
before she left office.

The ministers in Megawati's Cabinet that were retained by
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, have already declared their
respective wealth reports; namely, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, Purnomo
Yusgiantoro, Hassan Wirajuda, as well as National Police chief
Gen. Da'i Bachtiar and Indonesia Military chief Gen. Endriartono
Sutarto.

Law No. 28/1999 on corruption-free governance and Law No.
30/2002 on the KPK require state officials to declare their
wealth within a certain period of time after either inauguration
or when they leave office.

The laws require other state officials, including legislators,
to submit their wealth reports to the commission to maintain
transparency and monitor possible irregularities. However, the
laws do not impose sanctions for government officials who refuse
to submit their wealth reports.

Yasin also stated that the KPK had yet to obtain wealth
reports from seven of the 547 members of the House of
Representatives (DPR), either from the General Elections
Commission (KPU) or the legislators themselves.

While members of the Regional Representatives Council (DPD)
who have not yet declared their wealth stands at 55 of the 128.

The KPU requires legislative candidates to submit their
reports before entering their names in the legislative election
in April.

DPD members who have not submitted their wealth reports
included Mooryati Sudibyo, a DPD member who is also the deputy
speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), DPD deputy
chairman Irman Gusman, La Ode Ida, Raja Inal Siregar and Budi
Santoso.

The deadline for both legislators and DPD members to submit
their reports was on Wednesday, two months after their
inauguration on Oct. 1.

KPK leaders earlier vowed to turn in former and new state
officials, including ministers and legislators, to the police if
any failed to submit their latest wealth reports to the
commission.