Probe demanded for past corruption cases
Probe demanded for past corruption cases
JAKARTA (JP): Legislators proposed on Wednesday that the House
of Representatives (DPR) probe past major corruption cases,
including the alleged misappropriation of Rp 144 trillion
(US$14.6 billion) Bank Indonesia Liquidity Support (BLBI) funds
and corruption at several projects of state-owned oil and gas
company Pertamina.
Legislator Tari Siwi Utami said while addressing a House
plenary session that the reason to conduct a probe into the cases
was because they contributed disproportionately to the downfall
of the country's economy.
"The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) has reported that 98 percent
of BLBI funds have been misused and the government has to
continue paying the debts because of its decision to support the
weakening national banks," Tari, a legislator from the National
Awakening Party (PKB) faction, told the session.
She cited that the legal basis of the investigation was Law
No. 28/1999 on clean government and Law No. 4/1999 on ranks and
position of legislators who possess the right to conduct
investigations.
"The goals of the investigation are to uphold the supremacy of
the law, to take account of state finances, to speed up the
return of funds and to create a clean government," Tari said in
the session, presided over by deputy House speaker Soetardjo
Soerjogoeritno.
The proposal has won the support of 107 legislators from
various factions. It was reported earlier that most of the
initiators of the proposal were PKB legislators and their
colleagues from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI
Perjuangan).
Also on Wednesday, legislators proposed an investigation into
corruption cases connected with Pertamina that had caused
trillions of rupiah in state losses.
"For example, in 1995-1996 there was a report of a corruption
case in Pertamina that cost the country some Rp 82.6 billion, in
1996-1997 some Rp 476 billion and in 1997-1998 some Rp 1.3
trillion," Achmad Satibi, also from PKB, told a later House
plenary session.
He said in the session, presided over by deputy House speaker
A.M. Fatwa, that the proposal won the support of 119 legislators
from various factions.
The House has increasingly used its right to investigate
certain high-profile cases in the country, the most widely
supported so far has been the investigation into President
Abdurrahman Wahid's alleged involvement in the Rp 35 billion
scandal at the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) and the unaccounted
for US$2 million donation from Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.
The House finally censured Abdurrahman late last January and
agreed to issue a memorandum, that could lead to an impeachment
of the President. (dja)