M. Taufiqurrahman, Jakarta – The House of Representatives on Monday dropped the ax on one lawmaker, and warned several others for unethical conduct.

House Speaker Agung Laksono, addressing the press after a closed-door meeting with the House disciplinary committee, said the dismissed lawmaker had abused his position to help a private company win a government contract to build a dormitory for haj pilgrims in Saudi Arabia.

Agung did not mention the lawmaker by name, saying an official announcement would come during a plenary session Friday. However, it is clear he was referring to the Democratic Party lawmaker Aziddin, who is the only lawmaker implicated in the scandal.

"We have written documents that confirm his involvement in the scandal, including one from a Saudi prince," Agung said, adding that this was just the latest infraction by the lawmaker during his two years in the House.

Agung defended the House's decision on Aziddin, saying the disciplinary committee had the power to dismiss lawmakers for unethical conduct. "This decision is final and binding.... We will soon write to the President and the General Elections Commission to make it official," Agung said.

Aziddin is accused of acting as a middleman on behalf of PT Pondok Patin, a company which submitted a proposal last year for the construction of a dormitory able to house 37,000 pilgrims in Mecca. Aziddin is a founding member of the Democratic Party and lost a party leadership battle last year to Hadi Utomo.

Also on Monday, the House leadership reprimanded 18 lawmakers for various infractions, ranging from absenteeism to fraud. Thirteen members received reprimands for skipping more than three House sessions in a row. One member was cited for renting out his official residence and ordered to return the money he received to the state. The House leadership also recommended the police expedite an investigation of a lawmaker allegedly involved in an extortion case.

However, the House was relatively lenient on Ferry Mursyidan Baldan, head of the House's special committee for the Aceh Governance Bill. On the recommendation of the disciplinary committee, the House only gave a written reprimand to Ferry for violating "proper lawmaking procedures".

Ferry was accused of asking the Home Ministry to disburse funds to pay for the accommodations of lawmakers deliberating the bill.

A member of the disciplinary committee from the Democratic Party, Markus Silano, said his faction would accept whatever decision the House made on Aziddin. "We will accept it if it is a decision from the House," he said.

Aziddin, who was confident earlier in the morning that he would not be dismissed, did not return a call from The Jakarta Post later in the day.