More graft uncocovered in RI missions in Malaysia

The Indonesian foreign ministry has discovered more cases of corruption in its consulates general in four cities in Malaysia -- Johor Bahru, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching and Tawau, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda has said.

Hassan said that all the cases involved officials from the Directorate of Immigration collecting illegal fees from Indonesian citizen seeking immigration services.

His ministry's Inspectorate General reported that the illegal fees amounted to a whooping Rp 17 billion (US$1.73 million).

Though the perpetrators allegedly come from the immigration service, Hassan said that he would also require the consuls general or ambassador to take responsibility.

"I am very concerned that the graft was committed by immigration officials who are under the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights. But as their superiors, the heads of the representative missions -- whether they are from our foreign or other ministries, are still responsible for what happens in the offices under their control," Hassan told journalists at his office in Central Jakarta.

Earlier this month, the Inspectorate General handed over a file on alleged corruption in the Indonesian consulate general in Penang to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

The investigators discovered that the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur and the consulate general in Penang had imposed illegal fees totaling Rp 27.85 billion and Rp 13.8 billion respectively.

Hassan said that the consul general in Penang had been recalled to face legal proceedings, and warned other heads of representative offices against committing similar offenses. "They will not only face dismissal from the ministry, but also prosecution by the KPK," he said.

He pledged greater transparency to prevent corruption from taking place.

"We want to overhaul our administrative system. We want more transparency. For example, we will post up notices of official visa fees in front of the immigration booths. We are also considering paying for immigration services through a bank account, the method used by representative offices of European countries in general. This way, the immigration officials would not receive cash; they would only be required to verify the bank payment slip.

"Another option is to pay the fees collected into the state budget under the non-tax revenue account," he said. "We are also mulling rewards and punishment measures," he added.

Hassan said that the ministry's Inspectorate General would continue to probe corruption in Indonesia's missions in those places where large numbers of Indonesian citizens were concentrated. -- Ivy Susanti