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AKARTA: Former senior manager of Citibank and suspect in the embezzlement of more than Rp 44 billion (US$4.93 million) of customers’ funds, Malinda Dee, appeared as a witness in the trial of her brother-in-law, Ismail bin Janim, at the South Jakarta District Court on Wednesday.

Ismail, the husband of Malinda’s sister Visca Lovitasari, allegedly received up to Rp 20 billion of the embezzled funds, collected from 61 transactions, from Malinda.

Ismail is charged under the Law No. 8/2010 on money laundering.

Malinda testified that she involved Ismail in the fraud because she was too busy with her job as senior manager at Citibank. Malinda claimed that she had to process up to 30 customers’ transactions every day.

“When I was too busy to handle things relating to financial transactions, I asked for help from my close relatives, including Ismail,” she said.

After receiving the funds, which came from numerous unauthorized transactions on behalf of Citigold clients, Ismail transferred the money to several bank accounts belonging to Malinda, Visca or Andhika Gumilang, Malinda’s husband.

Ismail also transferred the funds to Malinda’s private company PT Eksklusif Jaya Perkasa.

Ismail allegedly dealt with larger sums than those received by Visca, who handled Rp 7.4 billion, and Andhika, who handled Rp 300 million.

Malinda said further that Ismail always obeyed her orders and carried out all the transactions without asking too many questions.