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KPK, ministry 'flooded with complaints' on allegedly embezzled village funds
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Suspected: Pamekasan Regent Achmad Syafii (second left) leaves the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) headquarters in Jakarta on Aug. 3 after being questioned on allegations of bribery relating to the handling of village funds at the Pamekasan Prosecutor's Office. (Antara/Aprillio Akbar)
T
he Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) says it has received hundreds of reports from the public on the alleged embezzlement of village funds since 2016, prompting the anti-graft body to investigate potential cases of corruption in the delivery of the funds.
KPK deputy chairman for prevention Pahala Nainggolan said the number of reports on alleged embezzled funds increased after it issued a circular that encouraged the public to report of any irregularities in the channeling of the funds.
“Copies of the circular were distributed to villages, encouraging all residents to file reports if they suspected there were irregularities relating to village funds. We were eventually flooded with public complaints. The Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Ministry received 600 reports while we [KPK] got 300 reports. We’re confused on what we’re supposed to do with all of these reports because it is not the commission’s responsibility to handle the matter,” said Pahala as quoted by tribunnews.com in Jakarta on Friday.
As the KPK is not tasked with dealing with such reports, it entrusted them to the ministry.
“We left it to the ministry, but it claimed it could not audit the alleged fund irregularities because it was the regency administrations that had the authority to handle such problems,” said Pahala.
He said reports on only 30 percent of the village funds were filed via the Village Finance Management System, an application established by the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP). Meanwhile, 70 percent of the reports were filed manually. (yon/ebf)
