Former consul to Malaysia detained

Wed, 10/15/2008 10:27 AM  |  National

JAKARTA: The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has detained former Indonesian consul general Arifin Hamzah for allegedly embezzling immigration fees during his tenure in Kinabalu, Malaysia, from 1999 to 2000.

"He is being detained at the Jakarta Police detention center as of today," KPK spokesman Johan Budi said here Tuesday.

He said Arifin and eight other officials at the Indonesian Consulate General in Kinabalu, Kuching and Tawau, all in Malaysia, had been declared suspects in a case that resulted in state losses amounting to Rp 11.7 billion (US$1.2 million).

Johan said the officials had issued two regulations on immigration fees. "One decree, which carried a lower fee for visas, was reported to the state as non-taxable income, while immigrants were charged under a decree stipulating a higher fee".

"They will be charged with violating articles 2 and 3 of the 1999 Law on Anti-Corruption," he said. -- JP

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