WB aid allegedly corrupted

TANGERANG: The Tangerang Municipality's Control Body (Bawasda) will investigate the alleged misappropriation of Rp 1.5 billion (US$176,470) allocated to install a website network in administration offices since 2001.

The case arose when the World Bank, which donated Rp 1.3 billion for the work, asked for a report on the project.

Dedi Rosadi, a municipality official, said the project, which was to have begun in 2001, was not yet complete because "the administration hasn't appointed a website master".

"Besides, we don't have a web server yet ... worse, several district offices still do not have fixed-line telephones," he said over the weekend.

Another official connected to the project, Dadang Durahman, said the administration had used Rp 600 million of the Rp 1.5 billion to establish a community hot line, while the remaining money had been used to computerize data at the municipality's Capital Investment and Permit Office. -- JP