The Cost Of The Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Train Project Swells, This Is BPKP's Explanation

Photo Illustration ANTARA

JAKARTA - The cost of the Jakarta-Bandung Fast Train (KCJB) project has the potential to swell again by around Rp. 2.3 trillion.

This is due to the findings of tax costs and land acquisition.

The Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) did not avoid this additional cost overrun.

Spokesperson for BPKP, Eri Satriana, explained that the potential cost overrun was caused by the new tax regulations.

Meanwhile, said Eri, this has not yet entered the assertion or become an official KCJB management report specified in the components of the financial statements.

"The tax is new evidence, after the BPKP review is complete because there are new tax regulations and it has not been included in the assertion," he told reporters, Wednesday, June 29.

Eri explained that BPKP had finished auditing the cost overruns for the KCJB project.

The recorded cost overrun figure was US$1.176 billion or equivalent to Rp16.8 trillion.

This value, said Eri, was obtained from the results of the BPKP audit at the request of the Ministry of SOEs to review the high-speed train project since December 2021.

Eri explained that the method used by BPKP in calculating cost overrun was by reviewing documents on the assertions submitted by the Ministry of SOEs through interviews and observations made in the field.

"As has been published in several media, the figure is US$1.176 billion or equivalent to Rp. 16.8 trillion," he said.

For your information, the cost overrun figure recorded from the results of the BPKP audit is much lower than the estimate of PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) of US$1.675 billion or equivalent to Rp24 trillion.

KCIC itself is the operator of the construction and operation of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed train.

Eri explained that the figure obtained by BPKP was smaller than KCIC's estimate because the auditors only calculated development costs.

"For its own calculation, BPKP only performs cost overrun for development costs, while operational costs after the fast train operates will not be included in cost overrun costs," he said.

Furthermore, Eri said that this figure is an estimated budget, and there are still some that are in the process of being disputed.

"So it is possible that there will be changes, including if there are new rules that are issued after the cost overrun review by BPKP is completed," he said.