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AKARTA: Monang Tambunan, an official of the Manpower and Transportation Ministry, admitted to the Corruption Court on Friday that he distributed more than Rp 2 billion (US$174,000) in bribe money allegedly embezzled from procurement projects of the ministry in 2004.

Monang, who was a treasurer for the project, said that he and the project organizer, Taswin Zein, had opened a bank account to receive money transfers from two companies which had been directly appointed to provide equipment for 10 training centers in 2004.

"Later, I gave the money to several other ministry officials, project executives and Baqindo Quirino, an auditor at the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), to manipulate the audit reports on the project," he said at the hearing.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) alleges that the heads of two firms which received contracts from the ministry - CV Dareta director Erry Fuad and PT Mulindo director Agung Trikarsa Mulyono Subroto - gained Rp 2.3 billion and Rp 2.6 billion, respectively, from the marked-up projects (valued at a total of Rp 45 billion) to develop vocational training centers.

Monang told the court that out of the total Rp 2 billion transferred, Rp 900 million was from PT Molindo Agung Trikarsa.

"I received Rp 50 million from Taswin Zein," he said.