Sidiq admits receiving Rp 800m

JAKARTA: After a 10-hour marathon questioning session, suspect Abdullah Sidiq Muin admitted to city police that he had received Rp 800 million from ex-fugitive Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra.

Sidiq's lawyer Supriyadi told reporters on Sunday that his client received the money via a middleman, Raden Doddy Sumadi, another suspect in the case, in which Tommy has accused the pair of extortion.

The lawyer added that Tommy had told Sidiq the money should be considered a donation for Sidiq's At-tauid Islamic boarding school. "The entire Rp 800 million is gone... it was used for the renovation of the Islamic boarding school and to build a mosque in Kediri, East Java."

Police investigators began questioning Sidiq on Saturday, after he was taken into custody at his home in Kediri.

Clad in batik attire and glasses, Sidiq, who is leader of the At-tauhid Islamic boarding school, appeared at police headquarters in a police ambulance car accompanied by a group of detectives.

Tommy claimed he gave Rp 15 billion to Doddy Sumadi to arrange a meeting between himself and former president Abdurrahman Wahid to negotiate for a presidential pardon. --JP