The chairman and the secretary general of the Prosperous Justice Party have been reported to the House of Representatives' Ethics Council for alleged embezzlement.

Yusuf Supendi, one of the founders of the party known as the PKS, on Thursday filed a report to the council accusing party chairman Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq of embezzling "a fund from the Middle East during the 1999 elections" and Rp 34 billion ($3.9 million) from former vice president Jusuf Kalla during the 2004 presidential elections, as reported on Media Indonesia's online site.

Yusuf also reported PKS secretary general Anis Matta for allegedly embezzling Rp 10 billion from the party's fund for the Jakarta governor election in 2007.

Anis is the deputy speaker of the House, while Luthfi is a member of the House commission I, which oversees foreign affairs. Both lawmakers have denied the allegations. "I was never aware of it [the fund from Middle East]. We're studying the allegations," Luthfi was quoted as saying.

Nudirman Munir, the deputy chairman of the House ethics council from the Golkar Party, confirmed that he had received the report, and said that the council would first study the documents before deciding whether to formally investigate the case.