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The House of Representatives Ethics Council is asking the State Development Finance Comptroller to audit several controversial projects in the legislature.

“We see the need for a post-audit by a state institution, in this case the BPKP. From the audit we can see if there are irregularities,” Ethics Council chairman Muhammad Prakosa said on Thursday, referring to the comptroller.

The House is under intense public scrutiny after several costly projects came to light. These include the Rp 20 billion ($2.2 million) renovation of a small meeting room, the printing of fewer than 18,000 calendars for Rp 1.3 billion and a planned restroom renovation that was being budgeted for Rp 2 billion.

“When we went to the renovated meeting room, we could see that the room was not so sophisticated as to cost Rp 20 billion,” Prakosa said. “The tables and chairs are ordinary, so is the floor. There are even uneven surfaces on the floors and walls.”

He said the audit was needed to confirm the cost of the project, and to determine if the budget was illegally marked up.

Ethics Council member Salim Mengga said that the House’s secretary general, Nining Indra Saleh, was to blame for the controversial projects.

“When we questioned [Nining], she tried to distance herself from the projects, making it appear that everything had been ordered by the House Budget Committee,” Mengga said.

“It is impossible. There are standards and procedures. It is not that easy [for lawmakers] to dictate to the secretary general.”

On Tuesday, Nining was summoned for a closed hearing with the Ethics Council.

Nining’s office has said that in the case of the meeting room, which is used by the Budget Committee, the reason for the high cost was the specifications approved by the committee.

Prakosa, however, has cast doubt on that claim. “When we asked [the secretariat] to provide proof, they said there was no recording or transcript of the meeting” between the secretariat and the Budget Committee where the demands were made.

Budget Committee chairman Melkias Markus Mekeng said that while the committee had requested that its meeting room, measuring 10 meters by 10 meters, be refurbished, it was never told by the secretariat that it would cost Rp 20 billion.

“We never wanted imported tables or chairs. We are just asking for certain facilities, certain tools,” he said. “It is up to the secretariat where these things come from, not the Budget Committee.”

Melkias said the old meeting room had been designed to seat 110 people.

“But often there are around 150 people attending our meeting,” he said. “The old room was designed for 55 members. Now we have 85 members, not including 10 expert staff members, and we plan to have eight more.”

He also said it was impossible that the secretariat would not keep records of its meetings with the Budget Committee.

“There is something suspicious about the missing records. If [Nining] cannot find them, we will sue her,” he said.

Prakosa said any plans to fire Nining would have to wait until after the BPKP released its findings.

House Speaker Marzuki Alie has said he is ready to fire the secretary general and has held talks about it with the cabinet secretary, Dipo Alam.

The House secretary general is appointed by the government and is not a politician.

The room renovation project is the latest controversy to hit the House, which has been criticized for unnecessary overseas trips and large housing allowances.