President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told members of his Cabinet on Thursday not to ignore any form of budget misuse in their respective institutions amid the growing number of corruption cases involving state officials and politicians.
“If you are aware that your subordinates have misappropriated or misused the state budget, in connivance with politician culprits, but do nothing to stop or prevent it, you must share the guilt,” the President told a Cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office.
“Such actions are conspiracy. I have credible information but I want to leave it for the law enforcement bodies, especially the KPK to handle” Yudhoyono added.
Yudhoyono said that “I am serious. I know many things although only little has been said. I am tightlipped to avoid unnecessary political effects. I know that some House of Representatives members attempted to conspire with state officials to play around with state budget,” he said.
The KPK has investigated several corruption cases involving Yudhoyono’s ministers.
The alleged corruption surrounding the construction of the Rp 2.5 trillion (US$265 million) Hambalang sports complex in West Java and the bribery linked to the procurement of Koran are just a couple of the cases.
The Hambalang is a project by the Youth and Sport Ministry under the leadership of minister Andi Mallarangeng of Yudhoyono’s Democratic Party, while the Koran procurement is found in the Religious Affairs Ministry led by United Development Party’s (PPP) Suryadharma Ali.
“Much corruption has been uncovered by law enforcement agencies, one by one. I am very happy with this result, no matter from which party the suspects are from,” the President said. (lfr)
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