Post by Sapphire Capital on Aug 3, 2008 2:31:55 GMT 4
KPK charges manpower official with graft
Andreas D. Arditya, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Friday charged a senior Manpower and Transmigration Ministry official with stealing Rp 13.7 billion (US$1.5 million) in state funds and bribing the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK).
KPK prosecutors charged Taswin Zein, 49, a top official at the ministry's productivity directorate, with embezzling the money while handling two procurement projects worth a total of Rp 50 billion.
He was also indicted for bribing two BPK auditors to falsify the projects' financial reports.
In their indictment read out at the Corruption Court, prosecutors said Taswin conspired with Bachrun Effendi, his subordinate, and the directors of five private companies in the embezzlement, between October 2004 and May 2005.
Prosecutors Muhibuddin, Chatarina M.G. and Afni Carolina said Taswin was guilty of violating the Corruption Eradication Law's Article 2 (1) on graft, which carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, and Article 5 (1a) on bribery.
Bachrun and the five directors -- Mulyono Subroto, Erry Fuad, Karnawi, Vaylana Dharmawan and Ines Wulansari Setyawati -- have also been named suspects in the case. They will stand trial separately at the Corruption Court.
The KPK alleges Taswin accepted at least Rp 1.6 billion from the embezzled funds and shared another Rp 2 billion with Bachrun.
Taswin and Bachrun granted the companies the procurement projects without any tender, prosecutors added.
Manpower and Transmigration Minister Fahmi Idris was also implicated in the case. He allegedly signed two approvals for the direct appointments of the companies in November 2004.
The KPK also accused Taswin and Bachrun of setting up a procurement committee that was ordered to manipulate documents relating to the projects.
The committee consisted of seven ministry officials who allegedly received a total of Rp 678 million from both Taswin and Bachrun.
Taswin was also accused of bribing two BPK auditors, Bagindo Quirinno and Poempida Hidayatulloh, who filed a 2005 report on irregularities in procurements at the manpower ministry.
Taswin gave the auditors a total of Rp 650 million to falsify the audit reports on the procurement projects, the indictment read.
Taswin did not challenge the indictment against him, although the legal system allows defendants to file objections to indictments, based on the court's authority to try the case and the clarity of the charges.
"We consider the indictment clear enough and we want to proceed with the hearing," said Taswin's lawyer Don Ritto after the charges were read out.
Presiding judge Krisna Menon scheduled the first court session for next Friday to hear testimony from the KPK's witnesses.