Andi’s brother regrets accepting cash

JAKARTA.  Former youth and sports minister Andi Mallarangeng’s brother, Andi Zulkarnaen Mallarangeng, commonly known as Choel, said that he regretted receiving the money that led to the prosecution of his brother in a graft case.

“I made two mistakes; I failed to report the money that I received and second I had no objection when I was asked to join a meeting at the Youth and Sports Ministry office,” Choel said in his testimony at a hearing of his brother’s graft trial on Monday.

Choel received US$550,000 in cash from Dedy Kusdinar, the former head of the Youth and Sports Ministry’s financial and internal affairs bureau, when the latter visited his house on Choel’s birthday, Aug. 28, 2011. Choel said he thought the money was a birthday present from Dedy.

Andi is standing trial for allegedly accepting bribes in the graft case surrounding the construction of the Hambalang sports complex.

The former youth and sports minister allegedly received Rp 9 billion ($787,406) in kickbacks, according to the prosecutors office.