Treasurer testifies against Taufiq Kamil in graft case
Treasurer testifies against Taufiq Kamil in graft case
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
A government official admitted to having disbursed a big part of
haj trust funds for various irrelevant purposes upon orders from
his superiors at the Ministry of Religious Affairs between 2001
and 2004.
The Directorate General of Haj Management Affairs' treasurer,
Enin Yusuf Suparta, testified in court on Thursday that he had
notified former director general Taufiq Kamil about the
misappropriation of the haj funds, but the defendant apparently
insisted that he comply with the orders.
"As a treasurer, I disbursed the money upon the orders of the
defendant even though I had informed him that the payments were
illegal," Enin said when testifying at the trial of Taufiq at the
Central Jakarta District Court.
Among the misappropriation of the haj funds was reportedly a
payment on July 3, 2003 to state auditor Khairiansyah for Rp 15
million (US$1,500) to influence the audit of the Haj Management
Agency, which falls under the Directorate General of Haj Affairs.
Enin also said he took Rp 160 million from the haj funds to
pay lawyers for then minister of religious affairs Said Agil
Hussein Al Munawar in 2004. He said the directorate general also
spent a lot to cover the trips of House of Representatives
lawmakers for a free haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia.
Said Agil is standing trial separately for the misuse of Rp 67
billion and over $848,000 in haj trust funds between 2001 and
2004.
Both Taufiq and Said Agil could be sentenced to life if found
guilty of enriching themselves, others and a private company
involved in the graft case under the 2001 Anticorruption Law.
According to Presidential Decree No. 22/2002 on haj
pilgrimage, the Ministry of Religious Affairs is allowed to
collect haj trust funds that are raised from the government's
profits in arranging the pilgrimage. The funds are to be used for
Islamic education, propagation and poverty alleviation programs
and development of haj facilities.
Prosecutors allege that Rp 600 million of the haj trust funds
was remitted to the account of the State Audit Agency (BPK)
secretary-general in 2002. Also in the same year the haj
management agency reportedly paid Rp 26.5 million to state
auditors who examined its accounts.
In 2003, the haj management apparently paid Rp 472.6 million
to the BPK in connection with an annual audit. In the following
year the payment amounted to Rp 349 million, of which Rp 221
million went to individual auditors.
The misuse of haj trust funds is just one corruption case
being handled by the inter-departmental anticorruption team,
which focuses on graft in government offices and enterprises.