The West Kalimantan prosecution announces the arrest of four people, facing the wall, for allegedly embezzling funds intended for the construction of a Protestant church. (Photo: Prosecutor’s Office)
Four people, including a Protestant pastor, have been arrested in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan province for alleged corruption in a church building project.
The pastor was arrested on October 4 in Sepauk district along with the three others, including an official and two members of the local assembly of the Sintang regency.
They are suspected of having embezzled US $ 22,000 in grants intended to finance the construction of a Pentecostal church in the village of Semuntai.
All four were being held in Pontianak, the provincial capital, according to the West Kalimantan prosecutor’s office.
“The money was supposed to have been used to build a church, but it was not treated as it should have been and ended up transferred to the personal bank account of one of the suspects,” said Masyhudi, the chief prosecutor.
“Our investigative team found two pieces of evidence strong enough to justify charging the suspects,” said the prosecutor, who, like many Indonesians, has only one name.
The four suspects, who marched ahead of a press conference, deny the allegations.
Capuchin Brother Stephanus Paiman, president of Justice, Peace and Integrity for Creation in Kalimatan, said it was a shameful case if it turned out to be true.
“If this is the case, they must be severely punished because they are people who should set a good example for others,” he told UCA News.
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