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