"We have to support the legal process at the KPK. If required, I am ready to give a testimony," Sandjojo stated at the Presidential Complex in Jakarta on Tuesday.
The minister had recently attended a limited cabinet meeting chaired by President Joko Widodo.
The KPK has arrested an auditor of the State Audit Board (BPK) and a senior official of the PDTT for alleged involvement in a bribery case for granting an unqualified opinion status by the BPK to the PDTT ministry.
Sandjojo said he agreed to the policy of the BPK if it is willing to re-audit his ministry.
"It is the right on the part of the BPK to do it," Sandjojo noted.
The minister said a bribe will not be able to affect the audit results of the BPK and change it into unqualified opinion since a lengthy process is followed to audit a financial report and to issue an assessment result.
"The auditing is performed by several people and a team through tight procedures. However, as it has turned into a polemic, I will leave it to the BPK whether it will conduct a repeat audit," the minister affirmed.
Sandjojo emphasized that since the start, he had implemented a program to clean his ministry of corrupt practices, so with the emergence of the new bribery case, he reminded all his ranks and files to not play a "game" related to integrity.
"This should remind us all to not play a game with regard to integrity. I have opened the door as wide as possible for the KPK to enter into my ministry," Sandjojo pointed out.
He hoped that the bribery case would trigger efforts to improve the built-in control mechanisms in the ministry, including improving the existing supervision system.
Sandjojo said that so far, he believed that Director General for Village Affairs Sugito, who is involved in the bribery case, is a figure on the frontlines in the fight against corruption and is well-known as an honest and highly disciplined official.
However, the minister chose to not intervene in the ongoing legal process but would continue to stay abreast of the case.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2017
