T

he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said on Tuesday it would kick off a preliminary investigation into alleged corruption surrounding the disbursement of government funds intended for people with disabilities.

KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto spoke of the antigraft body'€™s surprise at the finding.

'€œWe were truly shocked to find out that funds allocated to help people with disabilities were allegedly being stolen. There are indications of corruption in disability welfare funds,'€ Bambang told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Bambang said the KPK had agreed to launch the preliminary investigation after receiving reports from a number of NGOs on Monday.

He said according to the report, many people with disabilities in a number of regions did not receive the facilities they deserved.

'€œSome of the [graft] methods include a reduction in funds used to procure nutrition for children with special needs, and funds to build training and work facilities for people with disabilities,'€ Bambang said.

Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) said people with disabilities in Indonesia accounted for 12-14 percent of the total population.

Earlier on Monday, seven NGOs from a number of regions in the country met with KPK commissioners at the antigraft body.

The NGOs are the Bandung Independent Living Center (BILiC), the West Nusa Tenggara Disability Union (PPDI); the Institute for the Education and Development of Professions for People with Disability (LP3AD), also from West Nusa Tenggara; the Makassar and Central Lombok branches of the Indonesian Disabled Women'€™s Association (HWDI); the Yogyakarta-based Disabled Women and Children Advocacy Center (Sapda); and the Jakarta-based Association for the Foundation for the Blind (YMN) in Jakarta.

Aria Indrawati of the YMN said the organization had found indication of corruption in 25 government programs that focused on people with disabilities in a number regions in the country, especially programs handled by social agencies at the provincial level.

She said the 25 government programs were distributed through three ministries '€” the Social Affairs Ministry, the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry and the Education and Culture Ministry.

'€œWe found a case where government officials cut Rp 40 million [US$3,385] from the Rp 90 million aid intended for a NGO. Most people with disabilities had no choice but to accept the fact because it'€™s very difficult for them to receive any funds from the government,'€ Aria said.

Yuyun Yuningsih of the BILiC said government officials also collected illegal levies when disbursing funds for people with disabilities.

'€œFor example, a person with a disability is supposed to receive Rp 300,000 in monthly aid, which is disbursed once every three months. But in the field, the officers of social agencies usually collect illegal levies of Rp 100,000 from them when dispensing the aid,'€ Yuyun said.

The program, the name of which Yuyun did not specify, served more than 17,000 people with disabilities in 2009 and had run since 2005.

She added that this year the program had 22,000 beneficiaries, all registered with the Social Affairs Ministry.