T

he Attorney General's Office has named Indonesian Ambassador to Thailand Muhammad Hatta a suspect for allegedly embezzling em-bassy funds worth Rp 2.5 billion (US$250,000).

"Based on testimonies from other suspects and witnesses, we have enough evidence to declare Muhammad Hatta another suspect in the graft case," AGO spokesman Didiek Darmanto said Tuesday.

Hatta becomes the first serving envoy to be implicated in a corruption case.

Didiek alleged that Hatta, a Golkar Party politician, and the other suspects, deputy chief of mission Djumantoro Purbo and embassy treasurer Suhaeni, had conspired to embezzle state funds from the 2008 budget.

"We're scheduled to question Hatta on Wednesday morning for further clarification in the case," he said.

"It remains uncertain if he will be put into custody."

On Oct. 11, six AGO investigators visited Thailand to question 17 witnesses in the case, including Djumantoro and Suhaeni.

The latter two were declared graft suspects in August.

Hatta, the former Golkar chairman at the House of Representatives, helped then vice president Jusuf Kalla facilitate a dialogue between southern Thailand Muslim separatist leaders and the Thai government in Bogor, West Java, last year.

The suspected embezzlement first came to light in a report received by the AGO regarding allegations of state funds being misused at the Indonesian Embassy in Thailand early this year.

In response, the AGO then sent a team of prosecutors to Bangkok to investigate.

The AGO has reportedly seized more than Rp 1.3 billion of the fund from the embassy.

The money is being treated as part of the body of evidence in the case.

Earlier, Hatta said he would comply by attending the questioning session and explaining everything he knew about the case to AGO investigators.

He said he had also been questioned previously.

"I will explain everything about the case later," Hatta told the Kompas daily on Tuesday.

Last year Rusdiharjo, the former Indonesian ambassador to Malaysia, was sentenced to two years in prison for levying illegal fees on Indonesian migrant workers applying for permits.

Rusdiharjo's sentence was reduced to 18 months on appeal.