More councillors named graft suspects<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Kupang\/Makassar\/Jayapura<\/p>\n
Dozens of former councillors have joined an ever-growing list of
\nofficials and ex-officials allegedly implicated in corruption
\ncases across the country.<\/p>\n
East Nusa Tenggara Police said on Wednesday they would soon
\nname all 35 former members of the South Timor Tengah legislative
\ncouncil as suspects in a graft case involving Rp 1.4 billion
\n(US$155,555).<\/p>\n
The fund was allocated from the regency's 2003 budget as
\ngratuity payment for council members as their five-year terms
\ndrew to a close. Each councillor received Rp 40 million that
\nAugust.<\/p>\n
The police brought graft charges against members of the 1999-
\n2004 council -- some of whom were reelected in April for the
\n2004-2009 period -- because the allocation was not regulated by
\nlaw.<\/p>\n
\"After investigating the case and questioning witnesses, we
\nfound indications of state losses, so the 35 councillors who
\nreceived gratuity payments will soon be declared suspects,\" East
\nNusa Tenggara Police chief Brig. Gen. Edward Aritonang said.<\/p>\n
He said the office would place all suspects under arrest if
\nany of them posed a flight risk or appeared liable to destroy
\nevidence.<\/p>\n
Aritonang said they were awaiting permission from the central
\nbank to question the Soe branch head of East Nusa Tenggara Bank,
\nNiko Bere Enok, as a key witness in the case.<\/p>\n
The Rp 1.4 billion was reportedly transferred from the local
\nbank directly to the suspects' individual accounts.<\/p>\n
South Timor Tengah secretary Ruben Isac confirmed that
\nadministrative irregularities existed in the disbursement of the
\ngratuity payment.<\/p>\n
\"Maybe the disbursement procedures were incorrect because it
\nwas not regulated in prevailing laws,\" Ruben added.<\/p>\n
However, all ex-councilors had returned the money, so the
\nstate did not incur losses, he said.<\/p>\n
South Timor Tengah Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Jannes Sinurat
\nsaid police had reported the graft case to the Corruption
\nEradication Commission (KPK) in Jakarta for further
\ninvestigation.<\/p>\n
Separately, South Sulawesi Police chief Insp. Gen. Saleh Saaf
\nsaid on Wednesday senior provincial councillor Eddy Baramuli had
\nbeen named a suspect in a corruption case involving Rp 18.23
\nbillion of the province's 2003 budget.<\/p>\n
Police have named 16 other suspects, including 12 councillors
\nwho were reelected for a 2004-2009 term, in the same case.<\/p>\n
Saaf said Eddy, who was the South Sulawesi council speaker at
\nthe time the alleged crime was committed and is now a deputy
\nchairman of a provincial Golkar Party chapter, was charged in the
\ncase because he was deemed to have known about the transfer of
\nfunds from the council secretariat to the budget committee.<\/p>\n
Additional suspects could be named, as the money was
\ndistributed illegally to all council members for the 1999-2004
\nperiod, Saaf said.<\/p>\n
Eddy, who is a younger brother to a former chairman of the
\nnow-defunct Supreme Advisory Council (DPA), Ahmad Arnold
\nBaramuli, was appointed as South Sulawesi council speaker in 2003
\nto replace Amin Syam. Amin is the current provincial governor.<\/p>\n
Saaf said the police had summoned Eddy two days ago for
\nquestioning on Thursday over the graft case.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the Papua Prosecutor's Office handed on Wednesday
\nthe dossiers of three graft suspects to the Jayapura District
\nCourt.<\/p>\n
The three are Mimika port authority head Robert Naa, treasurer
\nAbdul Hakim Syarifuddin and another subordinate, Yusuf Duwit, who
\nhave all been charged with embezzling Rp 1.5 billion in \"fees\"
\npaid by PT Freeport Indonesia between 2000 and 2002.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/more-councillors-named-graft-suspects-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}