he Youth and Sports Ministry has pledged to take preventive measures to avoid any budget embezzlement for the preparations of the 2018 Asian Games, during which Indonesia will serve as a host.
Ministry spokesman Gatot S Dewobroto said the measures included the involvement of the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP) as a part of the local organizers for the quadrennial sporting event.
The state audit agency, Gatot continued, would provide guidance and assistance for the organizers to make sure that they could throw more focus on the technical preparations for the event.
“A new presidential decree has been made to accommodate stricter audit function [for the event] so we could avoid ill practices in the future,” Gatot told reporters on Tuesday evening.
(Read also: Better synergy sought ahead of 2018 Asian Games)
The ministry’s statement was made in response to the Jakarta Police’s decision to name Indonesian Olympic Commission (KOI) secretary general Dodi Iswandi as suspect of a fund embezzlement allegation during the Asian Games campaign dubbed ‘Carnival road to Asian Games 2018’, held last year in a number of Indonesian cities.
Dodi has been accused of embezzling Rp 5 billion (US$376,500) in state funds during the events.
According to media reports, Dodi gave no comment on his new status as a suspect. He only said that he would provide explanations when the time is right.
Dodi used to serve as an official of the Indonesian Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC), but his position, according to Gatot, has been replaced by Sylviana Murni, who is currently running as a running mate for Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono.
Commenting on the matter, Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Vice President Wei Jizhong said OCA had so far deemed criminal charges against Dodi as a personal case. OCA, he said, also did not consider it a threat for the preparations of the upcoming Asian Games. (hwa)
Your thoughts matter - share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.