TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) head Moermahadi Soerja said today, Oct. 10, that the audit on the primary defense system (alutsista) is still ongoing.
The audit on the weapons was initiated following an indication of corruption in the Augusta West Land 01 Helicopter procurement project involving the Defense Ministry. One of the allegations was related to a price markup causing Rp220 billion in state losses.
The audit was initiated by the BPK as requested by Military Commander Gen Gatot Nurmantyo. Gatot wanted the weapon procurement to be fully transparent.
Moermahadi declined to provide details about the ongoing audit. He remained tight-lipped when being asked about the development of the audit.
“We haven’t received any updates. It’s underway,” Moermahadi said.
BKP member Harry Azhar also remained silent echoing Moermahadi’s comment. According to Harry, the audit report is under BPK member I Agung Firman.
However, Harry asserted that the audit is an important one in a bid to reveal issues and secrets surrounding the procurement. An audit report for the first semester mentions a shortage of health package, primary weapon system, and construction works at the Defense Ministry and the Indonesian Military worth Rp13.17 billion.
ISTMAN MP
