Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 12/30/2008 11:02 AM | National
Private company PT Sarana Rektama Dinamika (SRD) has claimed its alleged involvement in a corruption case at the Justice and Human Rights Ministry is entirely the result of government mismanagement.
SRD, the ministry's business partner in an online administration system, has been implicated in the case following claims by the Attorney General's Office (AGO) that it embezzled Rp 400 billion (US$36.04 million) generated from the system. Prosecutors claim the money should have gone to state coffers as non-tax revenue.
SRD lawyer Hotma Sitompoel said it would be absurd to claim the company was guilty based on the definition of funding, which differed between government bodies and was now causing legal conflicts.
"The problem here is clearly mismanagement within the government. When the system started in 2001, the status (of the finances) was never an issue. Only in 2006 when talks between the justice ministry and the finance ministry began was their any suggestion the money needed to be categorized as non-tax revenue," he said in Jakarta on Monday.
"The government has not yet ruled (on the definitions) in any decree until now. Thus, there is no legal basis to charge our client," he said.
Private company PT Sarana Rektama Dinamika (SRD) has claimed its alleged involvement in a corruption case at the Justice and Human Rights Ministry is entirely the result of government mismanagement.
SRD, the ministry's business partner in an online administration system, has been implicated in the case following claims by the Attorney General's Office (AGO) that it embezzled Rp 400 billion (US$36.04 million) generated from the system. Prosecutors claim the money should have gone to state coffers as non-tax revenue.
SRD lawyer Hotma Sitompoel said it would be absurd to claim the company was guilty based on the definition of funding, which differed between government bodies and was now causing legal conflicts.
"The problem here is clearly mismanagement within the government. When the system started in 2001, the status (of the finances) was never an issue. Only in 2006 when talks between the justice ministry and the finance ministry began was their any suggestion the money needed to be categorized as non-tax revenue," he said in Jakarta on Monday.
"The government has not yet ruled (on the definitions) in any decree until now. Thus, there is no legal basis to charge our client," he said.