R

ecent asset verifications show the fortunes of presidential and vice presidential candidates have grown.

Eko Tjiptadi, the Coruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) director of prevention, said President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was among those whose wealth had increased.

"The verification completed today reveals the President's wealth has increased by 20 percent since the last report in 2007," he said as quoted by Antara.

Yudhoyono last reported the value of his assets at Rp 7.14 billion (US$680,380) and $44,887 on July 2, 2007.

All six presidential and vice presidential candidates were required to report their assets, however the KPK said they did not have the authority to judge if the increase in wealth had been honestly accrued.

"Our task was only to check if the actual and the reported wealth matched," said Eko.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) set the May 16 deadline for all candidates to file their reports. The KPK later followed up the report by checking all the submitted data.

So far, the KPK recorded Prabowo - chairman of the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) - as the wealthiest of the six candidates, with assets valued at Rp 1.7 trillion, including Rp 28 billion in cash, vehicles and stocks in companies in Argentina and France.

Muhammad Sigit, the KPK's director of the state official wealth report, said that according to a report recently given, Megawati was recorded to have assets worth Rp 122 billion.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) secretary-general Pramono Anung said Megawati's fortune was raised after the government gave her two houses in Menteng.