Govt to require top civil servants to report wealth to KPK

Azwar Abubakar thejakartapost.com

Administrative Reforms Ministry is drafting a policy to require all civil servants to register their wealth statements with the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and their respective institutions as part of the government's bid to uphold transparency and fight corruption.

“This [deliberation] process is still underway,” Administrative Reforms Minister Azwar Abubakar was quoted by tempo.co in South Jakarta on Sunday.

Azwar said that his ministry was deliberating the policy with the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) and other ministries over the technicalities of the wealth reports.

According to Azwar, his ministry found it difficult to monitor bank accounts belonging to civil servants, as the regulation currently in place only requires top echelons of civil servants, especially those working at finance ministry, to report their wealth to the KPK.

Earlier this year, the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) announced many findings, including suspicious “fat” bank accounts belonging to low-ranking civil servants in the country.

It found 50 percent of young civil servants were allegedly involved in corrupt activities, including 10 individuals who possessed personal bank accounts containing hundreds of billions of rupiah.

Moreover, in its yearly report, the suspicious accounts belonged not only to civil servants but also to some law enforcement officials.

Azwar hoped that the new policy would discourage the civil servants from being involved in corrupt practices, as the government would closely monitor their wealth.

He added that under the new ruling, civil servants should not only report their bank accounts, but also their properties, insurance premiums and jewelry. (dmr)