Awarded whistle-blower faces graft probe

Awarded whistle-blower faces graft probe

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Prosecutors will summon state auditor Khairiansyah Salman, who
won the Integrity Award for 2005 recently, for questioning about
his alleged role in a haj fund scam at the Ministry of Religious
Affairs, the Attorney General's Office said on Sunday.

Khairiansyah, a Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) auditor, is accused
of receiving part of the embezzled funds collected from pilgrims.

"He will be questioned along with all others who received the
money," Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes Hendarman
Supandji was quoted as saying by Antara in Anyer, Banten.

He was asked if Khairiansyah, Minister of Religious Affairs M.
Maftuh Basyuni and a number of former lawmakers who all allegedly
received the money would be summoned.

Hendarman, who also chairs the interdepartmental team to fight
corruption, did not say that Maftuh was among those who would
face questioning over the haj fund scam.

The questioning of Khairiansyah will be carried out by the
Central Jakarta Prosecutor's Office, Hendarman said without
specifying a date.

The haj fund corruption case is worth some Rp 700 billion
(US$70 million) and is being tried by the Anticorruption Court,
with former religious affairs minister Said Agil Hussein Al-
Munawwar and his former subordinate Taufiq Kamis as defendants.

As cited in the indictment against Said Agil, Khairiansyah
received Rp 10 million as a so-called transport allowance from
the Ministry of Religious Affairs when he was a BPK official
auditing the controversial haj funds.

The payment was aimed at ensuring he would cover up the extent
of corruption in the ministry.

Khairiansyah was the winner of an Integrity Award in 2005 from
the Berlin-based Transparency International for his part in
exposing corruption in the General Elections Commission (KPU).

He was the first Indonesian to win the prestigious award.
Other winners were Senegalese journalist Abdou Latif Coulibaly
and Israel's Movement for Quality Government.

Transparency International said that Khairiansyah "has shown
that one whistleblower can tackle corruption. He is a role model
for millions of Indonesians".

Acting on a tipoff from Khairiansyah, the Corruption
Eradication Commission (KPK) arrested KPU member Mulyana W.
Kusumah, who was caught red-handed in April attempting to bribe
an auditor in the hope of influencing the results of an audit of
the election body. Three KPU members and other officials have
been prosecuted, some of whom have been jailed.

Todung Mulya Lubis, the chairman of Transparency International
Indonesia, which nominated Khairiansyah for the award, has said
the organization was aware of reports that Khairiansyah received
kickbacks from the Ministry of Religious Affairs in connection
with the graft case involving Said Agil.

However, Todung said, "It is not proven yet".

Khairiansyah, who is protected under the Corruption
Eradication Commission's witness protection scheme, is now
working with the Aceh and Nias Reconstruction and Rehabilitation
Agency (BRR).