Jakarta. The 74 kilograms of gold bars and millions of dollars in foreign currency discovered at a property linked to former senior prosecutor Febrie Adriansyah were charitable donations intended to finance Islamic boarding schools and other religious activities, a co-defendant told a court on Wednesday.

Lawyer Don Ritto, who is standing trial alongside Febrie on corruption and money laundering charges, rejected prosecutors' allegations that the assets represented proceeds of corruption.

Police discovered the gold and large amounts of foreign currency in a concealed safe at a house in Sentul, Bogor, linked to Febrie, who formerly served as deputy attorney general for special crimes.

Febrie was subsequently removed from his senior position and suspended from prosecutorial duties.

Speaking at the Central Jakarta District Court, Don claimed that the assets did not belong to Febrie but consisted of donations he had collected from individuals in Indonesia and abroad since 2022.

He identified one domestic donor as Effendi Sitepu, who allegedly contributed Rp 40 billion.

Don also claimed to have received approximately $26 million in overseas donations in the form of gold and foreign currency from three individuals identified as Sonosanasya Jaswan, Muhammad Hasan Jahan and Agustina Bour.

He provided no further details about the individuals or their backgrounds.

"The donations were intended to support Islamic outreach activities and the construction of Islamic boarding schools in eastern Indonesia," Don told the court.

He said a pilot program had already been implemented, financing the education of approximately 500 Islamic boarding school students and renovations at several boarding schools in Banten since 2022.

Don accused prosecutors of prematurely concluding that the gold and foreign currency found at the Sentul property and Cafe de'Clan Signature in Jakarta were proceeds of corruption.

He argued that the prosecution's conclusions were not supported by evidence contained in the case files.

According to Don, he had rented the Sentul house, which belongs to Febrie's parents-in-law, since 2022 to support charitable and religious activities.

He said he had renovated the property at his own expense and installed a secure vault to store donations received from domestic and overseas contributors.

Don maintained that he was the only person with access to the vault.

Prosecutors Allege Rp 354.62 Billion in Money Laundering
The case also involves two businesspeople, Ferry Yanto Hongkiriwang and Nurman Herin, the latter identified as the owner of Koin Money Changer.

Prosecutors allege that the defendants laundered funds by depositing and transferring money through multiple bank accounts, disguising some transactions as business capital for affiliated companies.

They are also accused of purchasing land, buildings, vehicles and gold, as well as converting funds into various foreign currencies.

According to the indictment, the total amount allegedly laundered was equivalent to Rp 354.62 billion ($19.8 million).

Febrie faces money laundering allegations relating to his tenure as director of corruption investigations from 2019 to 2021 and as deputy attorney general for special crimes from 2021 to 2026.

Prosecutors allege that he laundered proceeds of corruption linked to his handling of major cases, including investigations involving state insurers Asabri and Jiwasraya.

The indictment accuses Febrie of corruption in connection with those cases in 2020 and money laundering between 2020 and 2026.

In an earlier hearing, prosecutors alleged that Febrie demanded S$5 million from Tan Kian, a witness in the Jiwasraya corruption case, threatening to name him a corruption suspect if he failed to pay.

Febrie Defends His 'Anti-Corruption Record'
In a separate hearing, Febrie defended his professional record and insisted that he remained committed to fighting corruption despite the criminal charges against him.

"For me, fighting corruption is a form of public service. I understand the risks, but I continue to believe that the law must be enforced in the interests of the nation and the state," Febrie told the judges.

He said his 30 years of service as a prosecutor reflected a long-standing commitment to law enforcement, with much of his career devoted to investigating and prosecuting corruption.

Febrie noted that he had held several senior positions, including approximately five years as deputy attorney general for special crimes.

He described that tenure as the longest in the position's history.

The trial continues as the court examines the prosecution's allegations and the defendants' responses.

Add as a preferred source on Google +