Jakarta, Aug. 18 -- Agriculture Minister Andi Amran Sulaiman dismissed 14 ministry officials over alleged financial irregularities totaling billions of rupiah, as part of bureaucratic reform to strengthen governance, integrity, and public trust.

"We have removed 14 officials, ranging from Echelon I to Echelon III, from their positions without new assignments while under investigation, as the violations involve billions of rupiah," Sulaiman stated in Jakarta on Tuesday.

He made the remarks during a press conference following the inauguration of several Echelon I and II officials at the Ministry of Agriculture and high-ranking officials at the National Food Agency (Bapanas).

Sulaiman explained that the removed officials were temporarily ...