W. Sumatra holds graft briefing
W. Sumatra holds graft briefing
The Jakarta Post, Padang/Semarang/Bandarlampung
More than 200 councillors and executives in West Sumatra have
attended a briefing on the law and regulations in government,
the provincial prosecutor's office said on Saturday.
The gathering, the first of its kind in the country, is aimed
at broadening the understanding of public officials so they will
not become involved in the misuse of public money in the future.
"What we have learnt from the widespread prosecution of
councillors charged with corruption nationwide, is that many
cases stemmed from councillors' ignorance about the law and
regulations against corruption," West Sumatra Prosecutor's Office
chief Muchtar Arifin said at the gathering.
The meeting was attended by 217 councillors from five
regencies and municipalities in the province. Executives
including regents and mayors also attended.
Officials from the West Sumatra Prosecutor's Office used the
day to brief their audience about the Law on Corruption, the
drafting of the regency or municipality budgets and other
matters.
Budget drafting was an important focus of the meeting because
most of councillors nationwide were being charged with the
illegal manipulation of regency or municipality budgets.
Dozens of councillors have been prosecuted in Kampar, Riau,
charged after receiving large payouts at the end of their terms.
These gratitudes were proposed by the councillors in the regency
budget and was approved by Kampar Regent. Non-governmental
organizations in the regency alerted prosecutors to the case when
it became obvious the payouts had no legal basis.
All 45 councillors were in the regency were investigated.
Muchtar said that a similar gathering would be held in the
near future and about 400 councillors and executives in the
province were expected to attend.
Meanwhile, in the Central Java capital of Semarang, dozens of
demonstrators from the Semarang People's Solidarity movement
staged a rally in the city, calling for the newly elected council
to be less corrupt and more responsible with public money. The
rally was held in front of Semarang City Hall where 45 new
councillors were being sworn in for the 2004 to 2009 term.
One councillor who did not attend the ceremony was
Sri Martianingsih from the Democratic Party, who is being held by
police for allegedly forging her school diploma so as to be
eligible to run for office. The councillor has still been named
on the list of councillors in the municipality despite her
prosecution. However, if she was found guilty by the court, she
would be expelled from the council, Semarang General Election
Commission official Nurul Achmad said.
Separately, in the Lampung provincial capital of
Bandarlampung, Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) official
Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas said the super-watchdog might take over
investigations into the alleged corruption in the Lampung
provincial budget if the government and the prosecutors approved
a letter from local councillors asking for a halt to the probe.
Erry said the law gave the KPK the right to take over any
graft investigations by police or prosecutors.
His comment followed report that executives at the Lampung
provincial council had sent letters to Minister of Home Affairs
Hari Sabarno and the Lampung Prosecutor's Office, calling for the
halt of a probe into the alleged embezzlement of Rp 19.5 billion
(US$2 million) from the 2001 Lampung provincial budget.
Before it took over, the KPK would look into three
requirements that would enable it to intervene in the case, said
Erry.
The KPK could intervene if law enforcers were seen not to be
serious in probing the case, if they worked to protect suspects
or if executives or House members interfered in the process.
"If any of these requirements is fulfilled, then the KPK will
take over the investigation process," he said.
The investigation centers on alleged graft implicating 75
councillors in the provincial council. Six have been named as
suspects in the investigation by the Lampung Prosecutor's Office.