Former religious affairs minister faces life in jail

Former religious affairs minister faces life in jail

Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Former religious affairs minister Said Agil Hussein Al Munawwar
and his former subordinate Taufiq Kamil went on trial here on
Thursday for a haj fund scandal, for which they could be
sentenced to life in prison if convicted.

The two are being tried separately at the Central Jakarta
District Court on charges of embezzling more than Rp 700 billion
(US$70 million) of haj funds.

In a 57-page indictment, prosecutors accuse the two defendants
of abusing their power by spending huge amounts of money from the
Ummah Trust Fund (DAU), the Haj Reserves Fund (DAH), the DAU Fund
Management bank account and the Employees' Welfare Fund at their
office.

"The defendant (Said Agil) violated Law No. 31/1999 and Law
No. 20/2001 on corruption by embezzling state funds to enrich
himself, others and private companies," said chief prosecutor
Ranuwihardja.

The 2001 antigraft law carries a maximum sentence of life in
prison.

Ranuwihardja said that during the 2001 pilgrimage season, the
Ministry of Religious Affairs handed over Rp 885 million to the
DAU -- which was set up under Presidential Decree No. 22/2001 to
support Islamic education and the development of haj facilities
-- while a total of Rp 16 billion and $982,784 were used as
reserve funds and for the operations of the Haj Management Agency
(BPIH).

The prosecutor said the ministry should have paid Rp 2.2
billion to the DAU, and Rp 25 billion and $12.5 million to the
haj bank account, but instead a large percentage of the money was
used by the defendant and other officials to enrich themselves.

"The funds were partly used by the defendant as tactical funds
to cover his foreign trips to Saudi Arabia and to pay his
lawyer," he said.

These expenditures were approved by both Said Aqil and Taufiq
Kamil, the former director general of Islamic guidance and haj
management.

"According to the presidential decree, all of the funds from
haj management should have gone to the DAU, but this did not
happen," Ranuwihardja said.

The defendant approved the allocation of almost Rp 300 million
to cover the trips of a number of legislators to monitor the haj
management both at home and in Saudi Arabia, and more than Rp 607
million for state auditors who audited the BPIH in 2001 and 2002.

"The defendant also approved the construction of a Rp 8.2
billion haj dormitory in Ciracas, East Jakarta, but the building
was instead occupied by religious affairs ministry officials. He
also endorsed the allocation of Rp 6 billion to renovate the haj
dormitory in Ciloto, Cianjur, but the building's management was
later handed over to PT Treva," the prosecutor said.

The BPIH paid only Rp 11 billion from the haj management
funds, while the remaining Rp 58 billion and $2,08 million were
used as reserves and tactical funds that were never accounted
for, the prosecutor said.

Another prosecutor, Payaman, said that during the 2003 haj
season, the ministry made Rp 2.1 billion but the money was used
by Said Aqil and other ministry officials to pay for trips to
Saudi Arabia and Malaysia.

Following their first court hearings, Said Agil and Kamil
refused to answer questions. "Please, wait until next Friday when
I present my defense," was all Said Agil would say.

Lawyers for the defendants said their clients could not take
all of the blame for payments to state auditors and legislators,
because the payments were made by BPIH.

One of the lawyers, Muhammad Assegaf, also said prosecutors
could not charge their clients with embezzling money from the
Ummah Trust Fund "because the only money they spent came from the
interest accumulated by the fund".