Sidiq admits receiving Rp 800m

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