Prosecutors probe illicit transfers of funds in NTB

Panca Nugraha, The Jakarta Post, Mataram | National | Wed, August 19 2009, 1:21 PM 

The West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Prosecutor's Office is currently investigating the alleged transfers of illegal funds from PT Bank NTB to the bank accounts of the governor, regents and mayors in the province.
The misappropriation of funds between 2003 and 2007, from the budget allocations for counselors' honorariums (DHP) and for social and community awareness programs (PSK), is believed to have caused state losses of Rp 11 billion (about US$1.1 million).
NTB Prosecutor's Office spokesman Sugiyanta told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday his office had questioned two witnesses from PT Bank NTB.
"We are at the investigation stage and are talking to witnesses. We have interviewed two people so far but cannot publicize the results yet," he said.
Sugiyanta said an anti-corruption group in the provincial capital of Mataram reported the alleged misappropriation of funds at the bank on Aug. 10 and, after making further inquiries, prosecutors decided to pursue the case.
The group found out that two of the four fund allocations had been allegedly transferred to the personal accounts of the governor and the regents of West Lombok, Central Lombok, East Lombok, Sumbawa, Dompu, Bima and West Sumbawa, as well as the Mataram and Bima mayors.
"The provincial leaders own shares in the bank. Based on the data from the informant, the DHP and PSK fund allocations had been embezzled because both budgets had been doubled. The state is believed to have incurred a loss of Rp 11 billion and this is what we are investigating," Sugiyanta said.
Coordinator of the NTB People's Solidarity and Transparency Forum (Somasi) Ervyn Kaffah confirmed Tuesday it was his group that reported the alleged graft to the NTB Prosecutor's Office, along with items of evidence.
"We reported four items, two of which involved the personal accounts of provincial leaders, as the board of trustees of the bank," Ervyn said, adding that his group had only reported alleged graft between 2003 and 2007, but the budget allocations for the DHP and the PSK still exist today.
"We deem both allocations wasteful and unfavorable to the state because the provincial leaders have obtained privileges through bank dividends and should not get them from the DHP budget allocation. The use of the funds for the PSK budget is also unclear," he said.
Ervyn said the DHP and PSK funds were transferred to the provincial leaders every month, the amount depending on the number of shares owned by the respective regencies and mayoralties at the bank.
Somasi had also reported the graft case to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in Jakarta, Ervyn said.

sumber: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2009/08/19/prosecutors-probe-illicit-transfers-funds-ntb.html