Tangerang prosecutors urged to follow up BPK findings

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Students and non-governmental organization (NGO) activists have demanded that prosecutors follow up a Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) investigation detailing Rp 24.6 billion (US$2.73 million) of irregular spending in the Tangerang regional budget.

Tangerang Government Watch director Tonny Wismantoro said that prosecutors should immediately arrest officials and councillors who were allegedly involved in the misuse of the taxpayers' money.

"It's unlikely the money could be returned as expected by the audit agency. Therefore, the prosecutors should immediately start investigating the case," he said on Tuesday.

The BPK report shows irregularities occurred in 14 agencies under the Tangerang regency administration in 2004.

The agency had called for all councillors and administration officials allegedly involved in the budget misappropriation to return the embezzled money to city coffers within six months or face prosecution.

The call come after students in the Tangerang Students Association (Himata) protested outside the prosecutor's office on Saturday.

BPK representative Burhanuddin Aritonang confirmed that his office had examined Tangerang regency financial reports and found alleged misappropriation that involved councillors and administration officials.

"We have given six months for officials and councillors who are involved in the budget misappropriation to return the money to the local administration," he said.

"If it is impossible to recover the money back from these councillors and officials, it will be the prosecutors' task to start legal proceedings," he said. Copies of the BPK report were also sent to Tangerang regency administration, the House of Representatives and the central government, he said.

Separately, the head of the fraud division at the Tangerang Prosecutor's Office, Anwarudin Sulistyo, said prosecutors would follow up the BPK's findings.

Anwardin said, however, that the office would need to collect more evidence before it could take any action.