Jakarta – Democratic Party lawmaker Angelina Sondakh is reportedly getting in touch with her religious roots since being incarcerated in the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) detention center last Friday.

According to Teuku Nasrullah, one of Angelina's lawyers, the Democratic party lawmaker, who converted to Islam after marrying her late husband, Adjie Massaid, in 2009, has been reading the Koran, praying and reciting religious contemplative chants in her cell. "She's a mualaf [a Muslim convert], so she still stammers when she prays," he said on Sunday.

Nasrullah said that Angelina had readied all her prayer supplies shortly before the KPK issued a warrant against her. Among items she kept in her detention center were photographs of her three children.

Angelina, a former Miss Indonesia, was arrested last Friday afternoon over her alleged involvement in two graft scandals; the Rp 191.7 billion (US$20.89 million) athletes' village project in South Sumatra and for procurement projects involving several universities in the country.

The Youth and Sports Ministry managed the athletes' village project, whereas the Education and Culture Ministry handled the university projects. Angelina allegedly rigged tenders for the projects in exchange for bribes.

Angelina denied any wrongdoing during her testimonies, but she was detained after the KPK found evidence of money transfers to her.

Angelina is currently occupying a 3.1-meter-by-3.5-meter cell at the KPK detention center. The newly-opened detention center also houses Mindo Rosalina Manulang, another suspect in the athletes' village project. The center has five cells. Each cell has only a bed, a pillow, a small bathroom and an exhaust fan.

Nasrullah said that Angelina had also asked her family to provide her with books. She wrote the request in a letter, which was then delivered by Nasrullah to Angelina's parents on Saturday afternoon.

"I don't know the type or how many books she asked for because I didn't read the letter. I immediately gave it to her parents and they are looking for them now. I suggested that she read La Tahzan, a guide book for sad moments," he told The Jakarta Post.

Meanwhile, the KPK appointed Arifpudin as its detention center warden on Sunday. KPK spokesman Johan Budi said that Arif, a staffer within the antigraft body, would head the detention center, which would be considered an annex to the Salemba Detention Center. (tas)