Whistle-blower wins TI award

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.