Chief councillors held for corruption<\/p>\n
Ainur R. Sophiaan, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya<\/p>\n
Prosecutors arrested on Monday top councillors in the country's
\nsecond largest city of Surabaya on charges of corruption
\ninvolving more than Rp 22.5 billion (US$2.5 million).<\/p>\n
Speaker of the Surabaya legislative council Muhammad Basuki
\nand his deputy Ali Burhan are being held at Madaeng prison in the
\ncity. The arrests were made shortly after police submitted the
\nsuspects' dossiers to the local prosecutor's office on Monday.<\/p>\n
Basuki, a legislator with the Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI Perjuangan), claimed his detention was politically
\nmotivated following an internal dispute among the party's elite
\nin Jakarta.<\/p>\n
The chief councillor was recently sacked from PDI Perjuangan
\nby the party's central board, which is headed by President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri, and he had joined a new political group
\nchaired by film director Eros Djarot, one of Megawati's
\nstaunchest opponents.<\/p>\n
Basuki and Burhan are accused of embezzling Rp 22.5 billion in
\nstate funds from the city budget, a case in which other
\ncouncillors and secretary of the Surabaya administration M. Yasin
\nare also implicated.<\/p>\n
Apart from Burhan of the National Awakening Party (PKB), two
\nother deputies under Basuki, Puji Astuti and Herman Ricai, have
\nalso been named as suspects in the same graft case. They were not
\narrested, however.<\/p>\n
"The case should be the responsibility of the council as an
\ninstitution, not myself and Ali Burhan personally, because the
\nfunds had been enjoyed by all councillors," Basuki said, while
\npledging to cooperate with investigators.<\/p>\n
Head of the Surabaya prosecutor's office Luhut Pakpahan
\ndefended his decision to detain the two senior legislators,
\nsaying the arrests were based on proper legal procedures and were
\naimed at smoothing the process of inquiry.<\/p>\n
He said his office had strong evidence to arrest and charge
\nthe suspects, citing a report from the development finance
\ncontroller (BPKB), which revealed the Rp 22.5 billion
\nembezzlement.<\/p>\n
Only around Rp 1.7 billion of the embezzled funds were
\nrecovered by prosecutors, Luhut added.<\/p>\n
It was not clear whether other councillors would join Basuki
\nand Burhan behind bars for their alleged role in the scandal.<\/p>\n
Investigators said the two detained suspects had issued
\nseveral decrees to approve the disbursement of state funds for
\nthe benefit of council members between 2000 and 2002.<\/p>\n
Luhut said Basuki and Burhan were charged with violating Law
\nNo. 31\/1999 and Law No. 20\/2001 on corruption and may face 20
\nyears in prison if found guilty.<\/p>\n
The suspects would be held for 20 days and the detention was
\nextendible, the chief prosecutor said, adding that he would
\nsubmit their case files to court soon.<\/p>\n
Iskandar and Sumarso, the lawyers representing the two
\ncouncillors, criticized the detention of their clients and
\ndemanded that they be released.<\/p>\n
The graft scandal has tarnished the image of the 45-member
\ncouncil, where PDI Perjuangan and PKB are the two largest
\nfactions, with 22 seats and 18 seats respectively.<\/p>\n
Other councillors expressed concern over the arrest of Basuki
\nand Burhan, but said it would not affect their routine duties.<\/p>\n
"With the detention of the chief legislator and his deputy, I
\nam in charge of the daily duties of the council," said Puji
\nAstuti, another deputy speaker from the military\/police faction.<\/p>",
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