President Receives BPK Leaders

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) received the leaders and members of the Supreme Audit Board (BPK) at the Presidential Palace here on Wednesday.

The BPK members met with the president to report on Semester Examination Results Summary-I (IHPS I) for 2016 and the Report of Examination (LHP).

"We want to report the figures for potential losses to the state, the follow-up on the results of the examination and more," said BPK Chairman Harry Azhar Azis, before meeting with President Jokowi at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta.

Earlier, he noted that the BPK will be "fiercer" in the future when monitoring the follow-up to the recommendations on the results of financial entities, both from central and regional governments.    
  
Under the terms of Article 20 of Law Number 15/2004 concerning Management and Accountability of State Finance, officials in the targeted agencies should follow up on the BPK recommendation.

If the authorities do not follow up on the BPK recommendation, as referred to in Article 20, they are to be penalized in accordance with Article 26, Paragraph 2 of Act No.15/2004, which calls for imprisonment for a period of one year and six months and/or a maximum fine of Rp500 million.    
  
In a follow-up monitoring on examination results from 2010 through the half of 2016, the BPK has submitted 283,294 recommendations to the audited entity worth Rp247.87 trillion.  
  
Of these, as many as 34,507 recommendations, or 12.2 percent, has not been followed up, while 172,909 recommendations, or 61 percent, have been followed up in  accordance with the BPK recommendation.  
  
"We would like to emphasize that the transparency and financial responsibility of the state has improved. However, the government should continue to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the financial management of the state," the BPK chairman remarked. (WDY)