Maluku official stands trial in refugee aid abuse case

M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon

The Ambon District Court opened on Friday the trial of a senior Maluku social welfare official charged with misappropriating some 1,975 tons of rice worth Rp 4.1 billion (US$455,555) in refugee aid.

The defendant, Husni Lessy, the head of organizational guidance and social assistance, approved rice distributions to organizations unentitled to the aid from January to September 2002, the court heard.

The rice, which should have been given to thousands of refugees who had fled during the three years of sectarian conflict that erupted in early 1999, were released by the Maluku logistics agency (Dolog) via 170 delivery orders issued by Husni.

Every time Husni issued a delivery order, he pocketed at least Rp 1 million to Rp 2 million in "commission" from each of the 170 authorized social welfare organizations and foundations, prosecutor Fauzi Marasabessy told the court.

Fauzi said the illegal distributions cost the state up to Rp 4.1 billion in losses, in addition to the Rp 170 million in under-the-table fees retained by the defendant.

Reading out an eight-page indictment, Fauzi said the defendant had no authority to deliver rice aid from Dolog, unless he had been appointed to the task specifically by the Maluku disaster management task force.

Husni should have also obtained approval from the provincial social welfare office head at the time, Isack Umarella, before distributing the rice, unless his superior was away or the situation was considered an emergency, Fauzi said.

"Without procuring the office head's consent, the defendant endorsed aid requests by issuing dispositions and signing delivery orders to channel the rice," he said.

He added Husni had not verified the eligibility of the 170 organizations and foundations for the rice aid, and it turned out that the organizations in question had embezzled the food aid and did not distribute them to refugees.

However, several organizations reportedly issued delivery orders by Husni denied receiving rice from the Maluku social welfare office. These included the Lamatoka Foundation, the Torihua Foundation, the Multi-Dimensional Peoples Non- governmental Organization, the Guna Rakyat Foundation, the Anugerah Sejahtera Foundation and the Sapalewa Ambon Families Association.

Former welfare office head Isack, speaking to The Jakarta Post on Friday, confirmed the misuse of the 2002 refugee rice aid.

Isack said he had not been notified by Husni about the distribution of rice aid to the organizations and foundations.

"I just learned of it after receiving a report from others that the rice had been distributed by a certain official at my office without my consent," said Isack, who now heads the Maluku people's empowerment agency.

He added that after he became aware that 1,970 tons of aid rice had been distributed, he immediately instructed Dolog not to release the remaining 3,000 tons from its warehouse.