More graft uncocovered in RI missions in Malaysia

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