North Sumatra cooperatives head detained for graft<\/p>\n
The head of the North Sumatra Cooperatives and Small and Medium
\nEnterprises Office, Syarifuddin Sidabutar, has been detained by
\nthe Bengkulu authorities for alleged graft.<\/p>\n
The Bengkulu Prosecutor's Office said that Syarifuddin was
\ninvolved in the fictitious auctioning of at least 29 cars and
\nmotorcycles when he served as the Bengkulu cooperatives head in
\n1999. The amount involved in the alleged corruption remains
\nunknown.<\/p>\n
The office also detained auctioneer Doni Indarto in connection
\nwith the case.<\/p>\n
Both Syarifuddin and Doni were arrested on May 3 and will be
\nheld for 20 days for investigation.<\/p>\n
Under a warrant signed by deputy head of the Bengkulu
\nProsecutor's Office, Adrean Effendy, the two suspects have been
\ndetained to prevent them from fleeing, destroying evidence or
\nrepeating a similar crime.<\/p>\n
North Sumatra Governor T. Rizal Nurdin confirmed on Tuesday
\nthe detention of Syarifuddin and assigned the latter's deputy to
\ntemporarily take over his job.<\/p>\n
\"We are following the principle of innocence. If based on the
\ninvestigation, he (Syarifuddin) is found not guilty, he will not
\nbe replaced. If the opposite is the case, we will consider taking
\naction against him,\" Rizal told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
He said the Bengkulu authorities had not notified the North
\nSumatra administration about Syarifuddin's detention, but learned
\nof Syarifuddin's detention from newspapers on May 9, six days
\nafter his arrest.<\/p>\n
Rizal then ordered his spokesman Eddy Sofyan to clarify the
\nreport by contacting the Bengkulu Prosecutor's Office on Monday.<\/p>\n
Syarifuddin was arrested when he responded to his third
\nsummons for questioning by the Bengkulu Prosecutor's Office,
\nafter failing to comply to two previous summonses.<\/p>\n
Apart from Syarifuddin, another high-ranking official in North
\nSumatra, Ridwan Batubara, who heads the province's fisheries
\noffice, had also been named a suspect in a separate corruption
\ncase worth Rp 400 million.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/north-sumatra-cooperatives-head-detained-for-graft-1447893297",
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