Police Find That GNPF MUI Chairman Sent Funds to Turkey
23 February 2017 07:54 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Police chief General Tito Karnavian yesterday explained to the Legal Commission of the House of Representatives (DPR) the alleged money laundering and embezzlement of funds belonging to a foundation called Yayasan Peduli Keadilan (Justice Care Foundation). Tito said that the investigation into the case embroiling the National Movement to Safeguard the Indonesian Ulema Council Edict (GNPF-MUI) chairman Bachtiar Natsir was based on foreign media reports.
“BN’s [Bachtiar Nasir] case was reported by foreign media… a pro-ISIS group in Syria allegedly received funds from ILH. BH was mentioned [in the reports]. [The info] was not from us,” Tito said.
The Criminal Investigation Unit (Bareskrim) later launched an investigation. “We traced it, it turned out that Bachtiar Nasir sent the money received from Yayasan Peduli Keadilan,” he said.
Tito said police also found flyers on crowdfunding for the foundation. The money was used to organize the so-called defend Islam rallies in Jakarta. Tito did not specify the exact amount deposited in the foundation’s bank account.
“From millions to billions,” Tito said. It drew the attention of the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK), who later detected the money trail, including the funds sent to Turkey by the GNPF-MUI chairman.
According to Tito, over Rp1 billion has been withdrawn. The money was handed over to Bachtiar Nasir and some were used to fund the defend Islam rallies. “The rest was sent to Turkey,” Tito said, adding that Bachtiar has been charged under the foundation law.
Bachtiar Nasir’s defense lawyer Kapitra Ampera earlier expressed that his client was not involved in alleged money laundering in the foundation. “We will prove that Bachtiar Nasir is not associated with the foundation. He is not the founder, patron, nor a supervisor; he is not listed in the foundation’s [organizational] structure,” Kapitra said on February 8 at the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Unit (Bareskrim) in Jakarta.
REZKI ALVIONITASARI