Probe into book procurement suggested

Probe into book procurement suggested

Sari P. Setiogi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Police should follow up reports of US$ 10 million worth of
corruption in relation to a World Bank-financed textbook
procurement project, a non-governmental organization said on
Tuesday.

The People's Coalition to Promote Good Governance chairman
T.M. Mangunsong said police should investigate the allegations.

"If the allegations have substance, we urge further action,"
Mangunsong said.

The World Bank announced in Washington last week there was
evidence Indonesian publishers and individuals had stolen some
US$10 million from a book procurement project for junior
secondary schools and urged the Indonesian government to return
the sum.

The Book and Reading Development Project was funded with loans
worth $132.5 million from the World Bank's International Bank of
Reconstruction and Development (IBRD).

Instead of transparency there was collusion among publishers
to win the project, acting World Bank country director Joel
Hellman, told The Jakarta Post.

He said the result of the investigation, which suggested that
some publishers misused funds worth $10 million, had been sent to
the government and the powerful Corruption Eradication Commission
(KPK).

As many as 26 private and state publishers and 10 individuals
have been black-listed from any new World Bank-financed
contracts.

Due to the scandal, the four-year project was terminated in
December 2001, having disbursed only $53.2 million of the loan.

"We believe the education sector is very important and the
World Bank remains engaged in this sector through the Ministry of
National Education," Hellman said when asked about the
possibility of resuming the textbook procurement project.

"(However), at the same time we have to ensure that resources
borrowed from us are used for their intended purpose," he said.

To prevent any graft in future World Bank projects, the World
Bank and the Ministry of National Education had agreed on a set
of action plans.

"It is important for us and the government to ... ensure
ongoing and future projects are implemented with stronger
controls and greater accountability," Hellman said.

Top officials at the Ministry of National Education refused to
comment about the scandal on Tuesday.