Whistle-blower wins TI award

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Berlin-based Transparency International has named former State Audit Agency (BPK) auditor Khairiansyah Salman as one of the winners of its Integrity Awards for 2005 for his part in exposing corruption cases in the General Elections Commission (KPU).

Khairiansyah, the first Indonesian to win the prestigious award, joins Senegalese journalist Abdou Latif Coulibaly and Israel's Movement for Quality Government as recipients. The presentation of the awards will take place in Berlin on Friday.  Transparency International said in its website that Khairiansyah "has shown that one whistleblower can tackle corruption. He is a role model for millions of Indonesians."  The organization acknowledged that Khairiansyah faced challenges following his decision to disclose the bribery case: he "angered the head of the BPK (Anwar Nasution) and was accused of violating the code of conduct.

"He was then openly accused in the media of entrapping the KPU member to bribe him," the website said.

Acting on a tipoff from Khairiansyah, KPK investigators arrested KPK member Mulyana W. Kusumah, who was caught red-handed in April attempting bribery aimed at influencing the result of an audit of the poll body. Three KPU members and other officials have been prosecuted, some of whom have been jailed.  Todung Mulya Lubis, the chairman of Transparency International Indonesia, which nominated Khairiansyah for the award, said the organization was aware of reports that Khairiansyah received kickbacks from the Ministry of Religious Affairs in connection with a graft case involving former minister Said Agil Husein Al Munawar.  In their indictment, prosecutors said the ministry, with the knowledge of Said Agil, paid a sum of money to a BPK team of auditors, including Khairiansyah, to cover up the budget misappropriation.  "It is not proven yet," Todung told a press conference.

Transparency International Indonesia's supervisory board chairman Arief T. Surawidjojo hoped the award would encourage other government officials and auditors to disclose possible corruption cases in government offices to the public.  "There are many internal (government offices') reports of possible graft cases, but they are ignored," he said.  Through a video conference facility, Khairiansyah declined to comment on the award. "I worked in a system that forced me to leave," he said.  Khairiansyah, who is protected under the Corruption Eradication Commission's witness protection scheme, is now working with the Aceh and Nias Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Agency (BRR).

Transparency International has ranked Indonesia among the most corrupt countries in the world for the past few years.