Fairness urges in graft probe

Fairness urges in graft probe

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Transparency International Indonesia has urged the Attorney
General's Office (AGO) not to single out certain individuals in
investigating a graft scandal at the Ministry of Religious
Affairs.

The call was made after the Central Jakarta Prosecutor's
Office named former auditor of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK)
Khairiansyah Salman, who recently won the Transparency
International Integrity Award, as a suspect in the case, which
also involves former minister Said Agil Husein Al Munawar.

Todung Mulya Lubis, the chairman of Transparency
International Indonesia, said on Wednesday that prosecutors must
complete their investigation without discrimination.

Prosecutors only named Khairiansyah, who was the whistle-
blower in a high profile bribery case involving a member of the
General Elections Commission (KPU) that eventually led to the
investigation of a series graft cases within the commission, and
three other BPK auditors as suspects for obtaining kickbacks from
the ministry.

But according to the charges made against former minister
Said, the ministry paid a sum of money to 19 BPK auditors to
cover up the graft case. Khairiansyah, however, returned the
money to the state.

Elsewhere, Todung said Transparency International Indonesia
had no authority to withdraw the award given to Khairiansyah, but
would report the case against him to Transparency International
headquarters in Berlin.
 Khairiansyah, who is under protection from the Corruption
Eradication Commission (KPK), has been suspended from his
position as the antigraft desk manager of the Aceh
Reconstruction Body (BRR) after he was named a suspect in the
graft case.