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.