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.