Kendari councillors booked for graft<\/p>\n
Hasrul, The Jakarta Post\/Kendari<\/p>\n
Defying protests, prosecutors here on Friday night arrested
\nalmost all members of the Kendari legislative council charged
\nwith involvement in a Rp 1 billion (US$106,382) graft case.<\/p>\n
Twenty-two of the 25 councillors were taken at around 9:30
\np.m. to the Punggolaka Penitentiary in Kendari, the capital city
\nof Southeast Sulawesi province, shortly after being grilled for
\nhours in connection with the scam.<\/p>\n
The remaining three councillors from the military and police
\nfaction -- Rusli Rais, Hery Mulyono and Sukarso -- were not
\ncharged by the prosecutors, instead the prosecutors asked their
\nrespective commanding officers to investigate them.<\/p>\n
Chief of the Kendari Prosecutor's Office Yayan Hartawan said
\nthe detention of the 22 councillors was done so they could more
\neasily be questioned in the ongoing investigation.<\/p>\n
"We just want to abide by the law," he said, explaining the
\nreason for his decision to arrest the councillors, which was met
\nby protests fro the councillors' supporters.<\/p>\n
It is common practice to detain graft suspects to prevent them
\nfrom fleeing the country. However, prosecutors often let some
\npublic figures remain free during trial, on the presumption that
\nthey are too well known to escape detection.<\/p>\n
Earlier in the morning, hundreds of people demonstrated in
\nfront of the Kendari Prosecutor's Office to demand that it drop
\nits plan to detain the local legislators for corruption.<\/p>\n
Alighting from trucks and minibuses, the protesters descended
\nupon the prosecutor's office and blocked the front gate.<\/p>\n
From there, the protesters took turns making speeches, and
\nlashing out at the prosecutors' plan to detain the councillors.
\nSome protesters burned a used tire, which created tension in the
\narea.<\/p>\n
Protest leaders called out the Kendari Prosecutor's Office
\nchief's name, demanding that he come out to meet the protesters.
\nThe demand went unheeded.<\/p>\n
In their speeches, the protesters demanded that the
\nprosecutors not detain the councillors, saying that they had not
\nyet been proven guilty.<\/p>\n
"The councillors are our representatives. If they are
\ndetained, we should be detained as well," shouted Rudy, a
\nprotester. The police monitored the noisy protest.<\/p>\n
Abdul Rachman, lawyer for the 22 councillors, said earlier on
\nFriday he was in the process of ensuring that his clients would
\nnot be detained.<\/p>\n
There was no legal reason for the prosecutors to hold the
\ncouncillors, because they were cooperative during the
\ninvestigation, he argued.<\/p>\n
"I can guarantee that our clients will not flee, destroy
\nevidence or repeat wrongdoings. I don't understand why they have
\nbeen detained," Abdul said.<\/p>\n
However, the prosecutors did not listen to the lawyer's
\narguments and issued arrest warrants for the 22 councillors later
\nin the day after negotiations with their families.<\/p>\n
After hearing that the councillors were being taken to prison,
\nthe protesting supporters attempted to block the vehicles.<\/p>\n
However, police dispersed the demonstrators after a clash,
\nAntara reported.<\/p>\n
Many regional councils across Indonesia are facing graft
\nprobes, with many members currently on trial and others named as
\nsuspects.<\/p>\n
A few months ago, 43 of the 55 West Sumatra legislative
\ncouncil members were jailed by the Padang District Court for
\ncorruption. They remain free however, pending appeals.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kendari-councillors-booked-for-graft-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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