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GNPF-MUI leader claims not to know money-laundering suspect
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Mass prayer: Hundreds of thousands of Muslims gather and chant prayers during a rally stretching from Bank Indonesia to the National Monument in Central Jakarta on Dec. 2. The event was held to demand the jailing of Jakarta Governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama for alleged blasphemy. (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)
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fter 9 hours of interrogation, the leader of the National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Ulema Council’s Fatwa (GNPF-MUI), Bachtiar Nasir, said he did not know Islahuddin Akbar, a money-laundering suspect who regularly attended his religious teachings.
Bachtiar was questioned for the second time at the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) on Thursday about how his organization funded mass protest rallies on Nov. 4 and Dec. 2 last year.
He was asked 37 questions on how the organization received donations and what they were spent on.
Earlier in the day, Bachtiar's lawyer Kapitra Ampera said his client did not know Islahuddin and also did not know about the disbursement of funds from a bank account belonging to a foundation called Justice for All.
On Thursday, Bareskrim officials investigated several witnesses related to a money-laundering case that implicates Justice for All founder Adian Husaini, secretary Tri Subhi Abdillah and treasurer Suwono. They also investigated GNPF-MUI treasurer M Luthfie Hakim.
As one of the hard-line groups initiating the rallies late last year and another in February, GNPF-MUI pushed for the prosecution of Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama over alleged blasphemy and called on Muslims not to vote for non-Muslim leaders in regional elections held last Wednesday. (dis/yan)
