Religious official held for graft

Religious official held for graft

KENDARI, Southeast Sulawesi: Prosecutors detained the Kolaka
religious affairs office head, Halid Laruka, several days after
he was suspended from his post for alleged fraud.

Kolaka chief prosecutor Uung Abdul Syukur said on Friday that
his office had gathered sufficient evidence to arrest Halid and
charge him with embezzling hundreds of millions of rupiah from
last year's haj pilgrimage funds.

A local non-governmental organization, Jaringan Kota, earlier
reported the case to the Kolaka Prosecutor's Office, prompting
the suspension of Halid from his post.

The group's charges were supported depositions by other
officials of the local religious affairs office, who said that
Halid had once asked them to sign blank receipts.

In December 2002, a team from the home ministry's Inspectorate
General audited the office and found irregularities in the
spending of pilgrimage funds under Halid's control. --Antara