Sale of SEA Games stickers to be probe
Sale of SEA Games stickers to be probe
JAKARTA (JP): The Indonesian Consumer Foundation is to
investigate the distributors of stickers sold to raise funds for
the 19th SEA Games, held in Jakarta last year, the foundation's
vice chairman Agus Pambagio said over the weekend.
The foundation has requested information from all the sticker
distributors -- state-owned PT PLN and PT Telkom, the Ministry of
Transportation, provincial revenue agencies and PT Angkasa Rona
Graha (ARG) -- but the investigation will focus on PT ARG for the
time being.
PT ARG was the first company to sell stickers to the public.
However, it was later banned from doing so as a result of its
mismanagement of the sales, Agus said.
The foundation was unconvinced by accounts of PT ARGs sticker
sales in the SEA Games fund raising consortium's revenue report
during a meeting Thursday, he said. The consortium had also
complained about PT ARGs unclear reporting. PT ARG submitted only
Rp 18.75 billion (US$1.98 million) from three months of sticker
sales.
The consortium, chaired by President Soeharto's son Bambang
Trihatmodjo, suffered a Rp 68.1 billion loss, raising Rp 87.9
billion against outgoing costs of Rp 156 billion.
Klynveld Peat Marwick Goerdeler public accountants are
carrying out an audit of the consortium. The consortium has
promised to publish the full audit report when it is completed
later this month.
"The foundation will investigate the problem while we're all
waiting for the auditing process of the consortium's reports,"
Agus said.
Agus said the foundation will sue the consortium if there is
any evidence of fraud.
"It's our commitment to bring the sticker sales cheating to
the court. That's why we're investigating the case to avoid
accusing the wrong person," he said.
He said the foundation needed to be sure who it would take to
court in the event of any wrongdoing coming to light -- either
the Minister of Social Services, who instructed the sales, the
State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, or other parties.
(yan)