The use of personal accounts to accommodate the City Budget (APBD) by head section officials in Jakarta Public Works Department will be investigated by Jakarta Governor Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo who admitted just knew about this information from media crew.

There are no treasurers in sub-districts, so one of them (civil servants in sub-districts) created an account on their own name to transfer the fund from APBD

Indeed, budget transfer to private accounts is known had been done from late September to early October which was the period of City Budget Amendment (APBDP). Such a thing is clearly not justified in budget management. That is why an investigation will be conducted to know the reason why that budget transfer was conducted.

“After you (journalists) told me, I will check it for sure. I will investigate why it happened,” stated Jokowi, Thursday (5/15).

Jokowi refused to give further comment about the details associated to the budget transfer to the personal accounts of Public Works Department section heads in sub-districts, including the involvement of Jakarta Public Works Department Head, Manggas Rudi Siahaan, with this case.

“I don’t know about this. We investigate it first. Don’t demote people easily, the case even haven’t investigated yet,” he said.

Based on the information circulating among journalists, from Rp 180 billion of the 2013 Public Works Department APBDP, Rp 2.5-5 billion of it was dropped into the personal accounts of 44 sub-district section heads in Jakarta.

Jakarta Public Works Department itself acknowledged about that budget transfer to the personal accounts of civil servants in sub-districts. However, the department argued it was conducted to speed up the repairing works in 44 sub-districts.

“ There are no treasurers in sub-districts, so one of them (civil servants in sub-districts) created an account on their own name to transfer the fund from APBD ,” explained Jakarta Public Works Department Head, Manggas Rudi Siahaan.

According to Siahaan, the initiative to open an account was because of the instruction from City Secretary who prohibits budget transaction over Rp 100 million in cash. For that reason, he instructed his subordinates who were in charge in road works to immediately disburse the budget to each sub-district.

“But, indeed the City Secretary’s instruction does not regulate the payment technical process. That’s why 44 sub-districts created accounts on behalf of their own selves which specially reserved to receive the budget,” he uttered.

In addition, Siahaan also admitted that the making of those accounts was not known by Jakarta Inspectorate and Jakarta Finance Management Board (BPKD). However, he emphasized that all accounts created in 44 sub-districts are not fictitious and the fund, which currently being investigated by the Inspectorate and BPKD, has been distributed.