Istiqlal Mosque Clarifies Alleged Donations Of Counterfeit Money By Sekar Arum, Police Begin Investigation

Upal Suspect, Sekar Arum/dok.polisi/ist

JAKARTA The Istiqlal Mosque provided clarification regarding the confession of colossal artist Sekar Arum Widara, who claimed to have donated counterfeit money of Rp. 10 million to the charity box of the Istiqlal Mosque.

Head of the Social and Empowerment Division of the Istiqlal Mosque, Abu Hurairah Abdul Salam, stated that until now there has not been any counterfeit money that has entered the mosque's charity box.

Until now, no counterfeit money has been found in the Istiqlal tromol. We took the money from the plate once a week, calculated it, then immediately deposited it with the bank. So far, the bank has never complained about the authenticity of the money from the Istiqlal Mosque," said Abu Hurairah when confirmed on Thursday, April 16.

He also added that until now his party had not received an official contact from the police regarding Sekar Arum's confession. Information about the alleged donation of counterfeit money actually obtained from news in the mass media.

However, Abu stated that if it was later proven that the counterfeit money had actually entered the Istiqlal Mosque charity box, then his party would deeply regret the action and would immediately take legal steps.

"We will coordinate with the authorities to investigate and follow up on this case in accordance with legal provisions. On the other hand, we will also increase supervision and education to the congregation so that they are infaq correctly and responsibly," he continued.

Police Investigate Alleged Counterfeit Money Donated To Mosque

On the other hand, the police are also investigating the alleged case of the circulation of counterfeit money involving Sekar Arum. Head of Public Relations of the South Jakarta Metro Police, Kompol Nurma Dewi, said that Sekar Arum had admitted that there had been donations of money suspected of being fake to a house of worship.

"SAW has admitted that the allegedly fake money has been given to one of the places of worship. Now we are investigating where it is and how much is given," said Nurma.

The police plan to summon the Istiqlal Mosque manager for questioning to confirm the allegation.

"We will ask for information whether counterfeit money was found in the charity box," he added.

Furthermore, Nurma revealed that her party was still hunting for other individuals suspected of being involved in the network of counterfeit money circulation.

"Based on Sekar Arum's confession, the money was obtained from his friend. We are looking for this friend to find out whether he scored or only as an intermediary. We are still investigating this," he explained.