Prosecutors probe alleged graft in KPUD

Prosecutors probe alleged graft in KPUD

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Jakarta Prosecutor's Office is investigating allegations of
corruption in the Jakarta General Elections Commission (KPUD)
involving around Rp 13 billion (US$1.36) during the legislative
and presidential elections in 2004.

Head of the Jakarta Prosecutor's Office Rusdi Taher said on
Monday that he had ordered the assistant for special crimes to
start investigating a report by the City Council's Commission A
for legal and administrative affairs.

He said prosecutors would use Commission A's report as initial
evidence to make further investigations into those involved in
the case.

He stressed that KPUD chairman Muhammad Taufik was the most
responsible person in the case because all spending in the
elections commission required his approval.

He, however, also stressed that other KPUD members would also
be investigated.

He said the interrogation would begin next week.

"We will summon KPU Jakarta chairman Muhammad Taufik some time
next week for interrogation," Rusdi said after signing an
agreement with city-owned enterprises.

Under the agreement, the prosecutors's office will become
legal advisor to city-owned enterprises should they be involved
in civil lawsuit with a third party.

Commission A, which investigated the alleged misuse of funds
by KPUD members during the 2004 elections, said earlier it had
found irregularities resulting in state losses amounting to Rp 13
billion.

It alleged the KPUD had failed to pay Rp 4.2 billion in income
and value-added taxes of its members.

It also discovered questionable tenders and an alleged mark-up
in the purchase of 180,000 vests for Rp 12 billion (or Rp 66,000
each). That price was far higher than the market price of Rp
25,000 per vest, the commission said.

The KPUD has also been accused of marking up the rent on three
houses it uses for offices in Kepulauan Seribu regency.

According to a report from the KPUD, the rent of the three
houses totaled Rp 170 million a year. However, it is believed the
commission only paid Rp 25 million a year to the owners of the
houses.

Apart from distributing its report to journalists, Commission
A also submitted it to the council leaders to be approved as a
council document.

Council speaker Ade Surapriatna said earlier he had conveyed
the finding to Governor Sutiyoso and asked him to hand it to the
relevant agencies, including the Corruption Eradication
Commission (KPK), prosecutors' office and the City Audit Agency
(Bawasda).

Sutiyoso had not conveyed the council's findings to other
agencies, however, prosecutors had begun investigating the case.

Commission A member Thamrin stressed that law enforcers could
follow up the commission's findings without any reports from
other agencies because the report had become a public document.

Sutiyoso said on Monday he supported the investigation by
prosecutors, but added that Bawasda would also investigate the
elections commission.

Rusdi stressed that his office would not depend on the result
of Bawasda's work.

Rusdi said his office was coordinating with the KPK to
investigate the case. He also said that he had told Governor
Sutiyoso about the investigation.