Sutiyoso asked to take Jakarta KPU to antigraft body

Sutiyoso asked to take Jakarta KPU to antigraft body

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The City Council is urging Governor Sutiyoso to report alleged
corruption at the Jakarta Elections Commission (KPUD) to the
Corruption Eradication Commission and the prosecutor's office for
further investigation.

"The governor is advised to recommend further investigation by
the relevant agencies, including the Corruption Eradication
Commission and state prosecutors," said the draft of a letter the
council plans to send to Sutiyoso.

Council Speaker Ade Surapriatna said late last week his office
had sent a letter to Sutiyoso in connection with the alleged
corruption on May 11.

A reliable source at the council said a second letter was sent
because the governor had not taken any concrete steps to follow
up on alleged irregularities amounting to Rp 168.6 billion
(US$17.5 million) in the KPUD's 2004 budget.

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

Commission A alleged the KPUD had failed to pay Rp 4.2 billion
in income and value-added taxes. It also discovered questionable
tenders and the alleged markup 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 rental fees
on the three houses it uses for offices in Kepulauan Seribu
regency.

According to a report from the KPUD, the rent on 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.

Governor Sutiyoso promised to follow up on the council's
findings and report them to the relevant agencies, but so far has
taken no action.

In the draft letter, council members demand Sutiyoso seek the
dismissal of KPUD chairman Muhammad Taufik and other KPUD members
suspected of involvement in corruption.

"The governor must recommend to the Jakarta Election
Commission the removal of the KPUD chairman and other members,"
the draft says.

However, a deputy speaker of the council, Achmad Heriyawan,
said he was unaware of any plans to send a second letter to
Sutiyoso. He also said he had not signed any draft letter.

Achmad added he was unaware the council had sent the first
letter to Sutiyoso in connection with alleged corruption at the
KPUD.

"I did not sign any letter to Governor Sutiyoso in connection
with Commission A's findings," he told the Post on Tuesday.

According to Heriyawan, any letter to be sent to an outsider,
particularly one linked to public issues like corruption, must be
discussed in a leadership meeting attended by the speaker of the
council and his three deputies, as well as the chairs of the
seven factions in the council.