According to The Sunday Age of South Africa on Sunday, 23 February, an employee at the Indonesian embassy in South Africa has asked for asylum and says that he is in possession of secret documents giving proof of corruption in Indonesia and relating to human rights violations in East Timor.

Kompas also reported that Foreign Minister Ali Alatas said he had not yet received a report from the embassy in South Africa about this request for asylum. Kompas reported on Monday that the person in question was named Stany Aji. Marco Boni, spokesperson of the South African foreign ministry, confirmed that the person had asked for asylum but the South African government has not yet taken a decision on the matter.

Contacted from Australia, the Indonesian ambassador Dr Rahadi Iskandar said the asylum request was not connected with anything political and claimed that Stany had be dismissed after being accused of falsifying signatures. He claimed that Stany had used his position for personal gain.

He was dismissed at the beginning of January and had immediately spoken to the South African press about his dismissal.