Police say arson was behind fire at ministry

Damar Harsanto and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The police confirmed on Thursday that the fire that razed the sixth floor of the finance ministry building and destroyed records of state assets last Tuesday was an act of arson.

"As a result of our on-site investigations, the police forensic laboratory has concluded that the fire was started deliberately," said National Police deputy spokesman Sr. Comr. Didi Rochyadi.

The statement contradicted an earlier statement by police that the cause of the fire was a short circuit in the air-conditioning system.

Didi revealed that the police had found a mixture of kerosene and another kind of chemical substance from debris taken from the scene. He did not specify the type of the chemical substance.

"The discovery (of kerosene) is somewhat odd, given that the office kitchen doesn't use kerosene," Didi said, adding that the kitchen used liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) instead.

He also said police had identified four locations suspected to be possible sources of the fire: the office for accounting staff, the computer room, secretaries' room and the kitchen.

"We are still investigating the possible motive for the arson," said Didi.

Suspicion has been rife among the public that the arson was intended to destroy records stored in the office that could have been used as evidence in corruption investigations.

Teten Masduki of Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) said earlier that similar incidents in the past had also occurred at other government buildings housing important documents linked to high- profile corruption cases.

The fire, which gutted the sixth floor of the Ministry of Finance, occupied by the State Accounting Agency, was the second of its kind. The first occurred in 1997, when it was claimed at the time that the cause was a short circuit in the air- conditioning system.

It is not clear yet which corruption cases might be linked to both fires but there are still many awaiting investigation.

The Attorney General's Office is in the process of investigating graft within state-owned oil and gas firm Pertamina and in the forestry sector.

The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) also revealed recently massive irregularities in the use of state and local budgets over the past two years. According to the agency, the Ministry of Finance was one of the most corrupt government departments.