"I am ready to be morally responsible," Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Andi Mallarangeng said.
Palu, C Sulawesi (ANTARA News) - Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Andi Mallarangeng has stated that he is ready to take moral responsibility for the alleged misappropriation of funds in connection with the construction of Hambalang sports training and education centre in Sentul, West Java.

"I am ready to be morally responsible," he said during a lecture at the Tadulalo University here on Monday, in response to a student`s question about alleged corruption in the Hambalang project.

Andi urged all Indonesians wait patiently for the results of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK)`s investigation.

"Indonesia needs a world-class sports education center because the current one in Ragunan, East Jakarta, is no longer good enough to accommodate and train athletes," he explained.

When asked about the alleged misappropriation of funds allocated to the project, Andi said he was ready to cooperate with the KPK "in finding out the truth".

The project, involving the development of a national sports education center, is also facing legal problems because the funds for its construction are alleged to have been inflated.

The KPK has asked the State Audit Board (BPK) to conduct an investigation into the case.

In 2009, the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs proposed a budget of Rp1.025 trillion for the construction of the project, but the budget was raised to Rp1.175 trillion by the Ministry of Finance.

Of the proposed budget of Rp1.175 trillion, only Rp275 billion got the required approval and Rp125 billion of the approved budget was expected to be allocated in the 2012 state budget while another Rp150 billion was to be allocated through the revised 2012 state budget.

The Hambalang issue came to the fore thanks to M. Nazaruddin, a former Democrat Party treasurer and a fugitive in connection with the alleged corruption in the construction of an ASEAN athlete housing complex in South Sumatra.

In a telephone conversation with a private TV station in July 2011, Nazaruddin said: "The tender winners for the Hambalang athlete training center project had been decided even before they were called."

Nazaruddin added that PT Adhi Karya and PT Wijaya Karya paid Rp100 billion in bribes to win the tenders for the project worth Rp1.5 trillion.

The total cost of the project is estimated at Rp2.5 trillion, if the procurement of various sports equipment and facilities is taken into account.

The athlete training center will consist of several buildings, such as dormitories and training halls. Spread over an area of 32 hectares, the center was initially expected to be ready for use by 2013.(*)

Editor: Heru Purwanto
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