Senin 18 Feb 2013 21:06 WIB

Anti-graft body postpones questioning minister of finance

Foto: Antara/Andika Wahyu

Minister of Finance Agus Martowardojo (file photo)

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - The planned questioning as witness of Minister of Finance Agus Martowardojo on Tuesday by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) over the Hambalang Sports Complex Development (P3SON) scandal has been postponed.

"It is true that there is a schedule for the questioning of the finance minister tomorrow but the finance ministry has confirmed Agus Martowardojo is on an overseas trip so that the schedule is postponed," KPK Spokesman Johan Budi said on Monday.

But Johan said he had not yet been informed of the next schedule. "I do not know when the minister would be summoned again. The minister will be questioned as a witness for the case of suspect AAM (Andi Alfian Mallarangeng -Ed)," Johan said.

The KPK is now investigating the budget setting of the Hambalang sports complex development amounting to 1.17 trillion IDR which later rose to 2.5 trillion IDR for the procurement of goods or facilities for the project.

The KPK has previously questioned a number of members of the House of Representatives (DPR)`s Commission X on sports affairs such as Eko Hendro Purnomo (the National Mandate Party/PAN faction), former chairman of Commission X, Mahyudin from the Democratic Party Faction, former deputy chairman of Commission X Rully Choirul Azwar of the Golkar Party Faction, Commission X member I Wayan Koster of the Indonesian Democratic Party Faction and former Commission X member Angelina Sondakh of the Democratic Party Faction.

Mahyuddin said after questioning that Commission X endorsed a budget under a single-year scheme, not multi-years scheme such as implemented when the project was done. He who was also questioned on the case on January 15, 2013 said he had never agreed to the 2.5 trillion IDR budget for the Hambalang sports complex development and the procurement of its facilities.

In the 2010 revised budget, the then secretary of the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, Wafid Muharam proposed additional budget amounting to 625 billion IDR but only 150 billion IDR of the proposed budget was approved.

In a later proposal, the ministry requested another budget worth 500 billion IDR but only 400 billion IDR was endorsed. The other proposal made by the ministry amounted to 521 billion IDR.

The anti-graft commission had previously questioned a number of Commission X members over the case, such as Gede Pasek Suardika of the Democratic Party Faction, Angelina Sondakh of the Democratic Party Faction, Kahar Muzakhir of the Golkar Party Faction and Primus Yustisio of the National Mandate Party Faction.

On the Hambalang corruption case, the KPK has named suspects Deddy Kusdinar, head of the Ministry`s Planning Bureau and former sports and youth affairs Andi Mallarangeng. The result of the investigative auditing of the State Audi Board (BPK) showed that the losses suffered by the state from the Hambalang sports complex project in Sentul, Bogor, West Java, amounted to 243.6 billion IDR.