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Sri Mulyani promises to address ‘brokerage’ in her ministry
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Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati speaks on Feb. 7 at the Mandiri Investment Forum (MIF) in Jakarta. (Antara/Muhammad Adimaja)
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inance Minister Sri Mulyani has promised to improve the ministry's budget arrangement system, following the arrest of an official accused of receiving bribes while conducting “brokerage activities” in the arrangement of the state budget.
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has arrested several suspects, including the ministry’s section head of housing and residential development financing Yaya Purnomo.
Yaya had been suspended from his position in the ministry.
“Ten years ago, I heard it and I tried to clean up the Finance Ministry through sweeping reforms. We changed all the procedures with an IT based and online system. [Relevant officials] do not need to meet to arrange the budget allocations,” said Sri Mulyani, as reported by kompas.com on Thursday.
She expressed her disappointment that bribery still occurred in the ministry.
Sri Mulyani said that Yaya had allegedly abused his power by conducting "brokerage activities" while arranging the 2018 State budget, by promising to facilitate certain allocations for regional governments.
The ministry’s financial balance director general Budiarso said the task of the suspect was simply to prepare materials for policy making and to carry out coordination for the technical standardization of housing and residential areas.
"Yaya did not have the authority to decide projects. He also had no authority to allocate any funds in the state budget for certain projects,” Buduarso added.
He said the ministry, in cooperation with the KPK, would track down any other possible irregular practices in the budget's arrangement. (bbn)
