EX-SOCIAL AFFAIRS MINISTER NAMED SUSPECT IN TWO CORRUPTION CASES

Jakarta, Feb 1 (ANTARA) - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named former Social Affairs Minister Bachtiar Chamsyah a suspect in corruption in procurement of sewing machines and imported cows for his department in 2004 and 2006, a spokesman said.

"We have named BC, a former social affairs minister, a suspect," KPK spokesman Johan Budi said here on Monday.

Chamsyah became a suspect after the KPK had collected enough evidence to build up a case.

Bachtiar was suspected to have had detailed knowledge of the processes to procure the sewing machines and imported cows intended for distribution among poor people.

The KPK had found out the social affairs ministry had directly appointed suppliers (without putting out tenders) and the prices of the goods had been marked up, causing losses to the state.

According to the KPK's preliminary estimates, the sewing machine case had caused the state to suffer a loss of Rp24 billion and the imported cow case Rp3.6 billion.

The KPK began to investigate the suspected imported cow corruption case in 2007 and found positive proof in early 2009 but did not announce the suspects immediately.

The case happened in 2004 when the social affairs deparment was led by Bachtiar Chamsyah.