Witness: Golkar accepted BI money

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 08/20/2008 8:30 PM  |  National

Golkar Party lawmakers accepted at least Rp 4.5 billion (US$490,500) of embezzled funds from Bank Indonesia in 2003, Hamka Yandhu, a Golkar lawmaker, testified in court Wednesday.

Hamka, as reported by Antara news agency, said the money was later returned to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on July 4 this year. He did not explain which lawmakers returned the money.

Hamka was testifying during the trial of former BI governor Burhanuddin Abdullah.

The KPK allege that the BI board of governors embezzled Rp 100 billion of the bank's fund, distributing a total of Rp 31.5 billion to members of the House of Representatives.

In his previous testimony at a separate trial, Hamka said that 13 members of Golkar Party accepted at least Rp 250 million each from him.

 The KPK has named Hamka a suspect in the case and is planning to bring him to the court soon.

Hamka said, the current State Minister for National Development Planning, who was then a lawmaker of the party, accepted around Rp 1 billion. (dre)

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