BPK to monitor use of Rp 5t grant fund

JAKARTA. The Jakarta chapter of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) said it would closely monitor the spending of the city’s social grant fund worth Rp 5 trillion (US$303.4 million) to prevent misappropriation and embezzlement.

BPK Jakarta chapter head Blucer Wellington Rajagukguk said his agency would form a special team to monitor the large fund’s spending this year.

“We will scrutinize the fund’s spending, the posts and the agencies using the fund and its recipients,” he said, as quoted by beritajakarta.com.

Deputy Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama said recently he was suspicious of the extra Rp 2.3 trillion allocated this year to the social grant fund, which is used by government agencies and lawmakers to implement development initiatives. He said the increased allocation might have been proposed by certain agencies in the city administration and the city council with dubious intentions related to the April 9, 2014, legislative election.  He also threatened to freeze the fund if its use was not transparent and accountable.

Blucer said the special team was set up after the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP) and the Inspectorate Agency finished their audit of the fund.

He expressed support for Ahok’s push for an electronic budgeting system to prevent the fund from being siphoned off by legislative candidates for use electoral campaigns. He said the system should be brought on line this year.

“If the administration was using e-budgeting, e-procurement and e-catalog, then budget spending would be more transparent and accountable and misappropriation and embezzlement could be stopped,” he said.