Ex-councillors charged with fraud over 'wives'

Ex-councillors charged with fraud over 'wives'

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Two former councillors of South Bengkulu regency, Bengkulu
province, have been named suspects for falsifying legal documents
with a view to profiting from a spousal allowance.

Tinangun and Inyo M. Hutagalung, councillors during the 1999-
2004 term, both falsified marriage documents and claimed to have
two wives to be entitled to double the spousal allowance.

Tinangung and Inyo are both single.

The fraud is the first case of its kind to have emerged amid
the dozens of graft cases across the country implicating or
involving councillors.

"The case files have been transferred to the local
prosecutor's office for further investigation," Bengkulu Police
detectives chief Sr. Comr. Iskandar Ibrahim said on Saturday as
quoted by Antara.

Iskandar said the two ex-councillors had lied to the public,
as they were still bachelors, adding that the two had caused
losses to state by taking spousal allowances to which they were
not entitled.

He said their trial would be held soon after the prosecutors
completed the case files and submitted them to court.

In addition to the illegally procured spousal allowances, the
two were also receiving legitimate allowances such as operational
and housing allowances on top of their monthly salaries.

The salary of legislative councillors range from Rp 10 million
(US$1,111) to 20 million, depending on the financial capabilities
of the local governments, and is far higher than that of most
civil servants.

A new civil servant, for example, only earns Rp 700,000 to Rp
1 million a month.

It is an oft-debated public issue as to why councillors, who
receive good salaries, embezzle taxpayers' money for their own
gain.