APSN Banner

Home Indonesia Aceh West Papua East Timor

Corruption cases surge, but record lower potential state losses: Watchdog

Jakarta Post - October 4, 2012

Jakarta – Indonesia recorded 285 corruption cases unearthed in the first half of this year, with a combined potential loss to the state of Rp 1.22 trillion, the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) says.

"We compared these numbers to the first half of 2010 and found more cases but a lesser value of corrupted funds," said ICW investigation division chief, Agus Sunaryanto, during a press conference in Jakarta on Thursday.

From January to July 2010 the watchdog found 176 cases with a combined state loss of Rp 2.1 trillion, in comparison, a similar value was recorded for the whole of 2011, with 436 cases.

"Infrastructure regained its status as the most corrupted sector, replacing the education sector," said an ICW investigator Tama S. Langkun. As many as 87 corruption cases allegedly occurred in some infrastructure projects. Government budgetary and education sectors followed with 50 cases and 29 cases, respectively.

"Three top positions have always been placed by these sectors. These means that the corruption eradication efforts haven't made a significant impact," he explained.

Attorney offices became the law enforcer body that handled the highest number of cases (168), followed by the police with 99 cases and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) with 18 cases.

Agus said that even though the KPK recorded fewer cases, the anti-graft body investigated cases with the highest potential losses of Rp. 1.5 trillion in total. Tama added, that "we appreciated that the Attorney General's Office (AGO) has started to reveal corruption in the natural resources sector, which might have resulted in huge financial losses".

Of over 200 cases, the biggest case was an alleged corruption case implicating US-based energy company PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia and upstream oil and gas regulator BPMigas.

According to AGO's investigation, up to Rp 200 billion (US$23.4 billion) from the state budget has been allegedly disbursed by BPMigas to Chevron for the company's bioremediation program from 2003 to 2011. The program was said to be fictitious. (yps/iwa)