Said Agil testifies in court
Said Agil testifies in court
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The former minister of religion admitted in court that a number
haj pilgrimage accounts had not been properly accounted for,
particularly those that provided funding for House of
Representative members' haj trips.
Former minister Said Agil Hussein Al Munawar testified that
the funds were not reported because it had not been regulated in
Law No. 17/1999 on haj pilgrimage arrangements.
"The Law stipulates that we only had to report the haj trust
fund (DAU) and haj pilgrimage travel payment (BPIH)," he
explained to the Central Jakarta Court on Monday as a witness in
the graft trial of former director general of haj management
affairs Taufiq Kamil.
Al Munawar acknowledged that there were eight bank accounts
(with a total of approximately Rp 300 billion according to
prosecutors) outside the DAU and BPIH accounts. All the funds in
those accounts were collected from people paying for the haj
pilgrimage.
Al Munawar and Taufiq are the main suspects in the corruption
case, which centers on the alleged embezzlement of the haj
pilgrimage funds between 2001 and 2004, causing the state to
suffer some Rp 67 billion (US$6.7 million) and more than $848,000
in losses.
According to Presidential Decree No. 22/2002 on the haj
pilgrimage, the Ministry of Religious Affairs is allowed to
collect profits raised from arranging the haj pilgrimage. The
funds, however, are supposed to be used for things such as
Islamic education, poverty alleviation programs and development
of haj facilities.
But prosecutors charged that the two senior officials used
some of the money for other purposes, such as financing the haj
pilgrimage for lawmakers, purchasing wedding gifts for children
of lawmakers and other "incentives", given to state auditors
assigned to audit the haj pilgrimage program.
Al Munawar and Taufik, who have denied the graft accusations,
could be sentenced to life in prison if found guilty of enriching
themselves, others and a private company involved in the graft
case under the 2001 Anticorruption Law.
According to Al Munawar, the money spent for the wedding gifts
and to the state auditors was for "public good and to strengthen
the relationship between the minister and the people."
He added that Rp 50 million was used to pay part of the
mortgage on legislator Abduh Padare house, but it was aimed at
helping Abduh settle some debts.
The holiday bonus and incentives for Supreme Audit Agency
(BPK) auditors, Al Munawar claimed, was handed over after
discussions between the BPK and the ministry.
Meanwhile, the money provided for House Commission VI
legislators' haj trips had been approved by the House, which
decided how many people were going, he added.