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Komnas HAM bears responsibility in alleged budget misuse: Lawmaker
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Upbeat – Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) chairman Harry Azhar Azis (right) explains the agency’s audit results on financial reports for the first semester of this year, submitted by central and local administrations, state-owned companies and other bodies, in a plenary meeting at the Regional Representative Council (DPD) in Jakarta on Oct.5. (Antara/Yudhi Mahatma)
T
he deputy speaker of House of Representatives Commission III overseeing legal affairs, human rights and security, Desmond Junaidi Mahesa, has said the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) must be held responsible for alleged budget misuse committed by its commissioners.
In its 2015 Komnas HAM audit report, the lawmaker said, the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) stated that it had found disregard of laws and regulations and fictitious spending by the rights body during its examination of the latter’s financial report.
“All irregularities must be accounted for by Komnas HAM as an institution, not by individuals,” he said as quoted by kompas.com on Tuesday.
As reported earlier, the BPK issued a disclaimer opinion, the lowest grade in its evaluation, for the commission’s financial report due to irregularities.
(Read also: Komnas HAM asks KPK to help investigate own budget irregularities)
Desmond said alleged budget misuse, which led to the BPK’s disclaimer opinion issuance, had damaged Komnas HAM as an institution. It also showed the incapability of current Komnas HAM chairman M.Imdadun Rahmat in handling the management of the commission.
In its audit report, the BPK uncovered alleged fictitious budget spending worth Rp 820.2 million (US$62,922.95) in the commission’s financial report for 2015. In August, it set up an ethics council and an internal team to follow up the report. The council found that a Komnas HAM commissioner, identified by the initials DB, had misused Rp 330 million in official residence rental funds.
Desmond said Komnas HAM must use this finding to evaluate its commissioner selection mechanism. He said the current number of Komnas HAM commissioners, which reached 13 people, was too high and had led to the commission’s lack of performance. (ebf)
