Dian Kuswandini, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 11/14/2008 7:06 AM | Headlines
Family members of senior officials implicated in a Rp 400 billion (US$36 million) corruption scandal at the Justice and Human Rights Ministry received part of the stolen money, the Attorney General’s Office said Thursday.
Assistant attorney general for special crimes Marwan Effendi said prosecutors had found that some of the money had been placed in the bank accounts of wives of the suspects. The women had no relation at all to the online project at the root of the scandal.
“They (the wives) spent the money as if it fell from the sky, without limits. For example, some of them spent around Rp 10 million to Rp 15 million on souvenirs during an overseas trip,” he said, referring to a visit organized by the ministry’s directorate general of public law administration.
Marwan said the officials and their families had also used the money to fund other events.
“The treasurer of the directorate general’s cooperatives unit has records of who received the money,” he said, adding that prosecutors would summon several senior executives’ wives next week.
“I insist (the wives) are guilty because they used state money for personal purposes.”
Marwan admitted that several AGO prosecutors had also used part of the money, but quickly added there was no wrongdoing involved.
“The prosecutors in question were invited, along with several university professors, to events held by the directorate general. They received some of the money only to cover their transportation expenses,” Marwan said.
The expenses claimed ranged from Rp 800,000 to Rp 3 million, he said.
The scandal centers on the alleged embezzlement of access fees and non-tax revenue acquired from a website run by the directorate general of public law administration.
Through the website, www.sisminbakum.com, launched in 2001, legal entities could register for permits and nominate notaries. The services on offer ranged in price from Rp 250,000 to Rp 1 million.
According to the AGO, the directorate general received 200 applications daily from notaries throughout the country, generating monthly revenue of between Rp 5 billion and Rp 9 billion.
The revenue, which it is said should have gone to the state coffers, was channeled to the officials at the directorate general and to private company PT Sarana Rekatama Dinamika (SRD), which provided the online system.
The AGO said some written documents had shown SRD had received 90 percent of the revenue, with the rest going to ministry officials, distributed according to rank. For example, a secretary-general received Rp 5 million, while a director general received Rp 10 million per month.
“There was no reason for them to get the money,” Marwan said.
“The website offered public services, so the money generated from it should have gone to the state coffers.”
Implicated in the scandal is former justice minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra, who signed two ministerial decrees in 2000 related to the website, the first appointing SRD to build the website and the second to activate the system.
However, the idea of the online system was initiated by former public law administration director general Romli Atmasasmita, Marwan said.
On Monday, the AGO detained Romli, currently a law expert at Bandung’s Padjajaran University who helped draft a Corruption Court bill.
“We have evidence that Romli introduced the concept of the online system during a seminar in 2000. He said the money generated from the system would be given to the state, but in fact it
went into private pockets,” Marwan said.
Other suspects detained in the case are Romli’s successors, Syamsuddin Manan Sinaga and Zulkarnain Yunus.
Family members of senior officials implicated in a Rp 400 billion (US$36 million) corruption scandal at the Justice and Human Rights Ministry received part of the stolen money, the Attorney General’s Office said Thursday.
Assistant attorney general for special crimes Marwan Effendi said prosecutors had found that some of the money had been placed in the bank accounts of wives of the suspects. The women had no relation at all to the online project at the root of the scandal.
“They (the wives) spent the money as if it fell from the sky, without limits. For example, some of them spent around Rp 10 million to Rp 15 million on souvenirs during an overseas trip,” he said, referring to a visit organized by the ministry’s directorate general of public law administration.
Marwan said the officials and their families had also used the money to fund other events.
“The treasurer of the directorate general’s cooperatives unit has records of who received the money,” he said, adding that prosecutors would summon several senior executives’ wives next week.
“I insist (the wives) are guilty because they used state money for personal purposes.”
Marwan admitted that several AGO prosecutors had also used part of the money, but quickly added there was no wrongdoing involved.
“The prosecutors in question were invited, along with several university professors, to events held by the directorate general. They received some of the money only to cover their transportation expenses,” Marwan said.
The expenses claimed ranged from Rp 800,000 to Rp 3 million, he said.
The scandal centers on the alleged embezzlement of access fees and non-tax revenue acquired from a website run by the directorate general of public law administration.
Through the website, www.sisminbakum.com, launched in 2001, legal entities could register for permits and nominate notaries. The services on offer ranged in price from Rp 250,000 to Rp 1 million.
According to the AGO, the directorate general received 200 applications daily from notaries throughout the country, generating monthly revenue of between Rp 5 billion and Rp 9 billion.
The revenue, which it is said should have gone to the state coffers, was channeled to the officials at the directorate general and to private company PT Sarana Rekatama Dinamika (SRD), which provided the online system.
The AGO said some written documents had shown SRD had received 90 percent of the revenue, with the rest going to ministry officials, distributed according to rank. For example, a secretary-general received Rp 5 million, while a director general received Rp 10 million per month.
“There was no reason for them to get the money,” Marwan said.
“The website offered public services, so the money generated from it should have gone to the state coffers.”
Implicated in the scandal is former justice minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra, who signed two ministerial decrees in 2000 related to the website, the first appointing SRD to build the website and the second to activate the system.
However, the idea of the online system was initiated by former public law administration director general Romli Atmasasmita, Marwan said.
On Monday, the AGO detained Romli, currently a law expert at Bandung’s Padjajaran University who helped draft a Corruption Court bill.
“We have evidence that Romli introduced the concept of the online system during a seminar in 2000. He said the money generated from the system would be given to the state, but in fact it
went into private pockets,” Marwan said.
Other suspects detained in the case are Romli’s successors, Syamsuddin Manan Sinaga and Zulkarnain Yunus.