Police question ex-councillor over graft<\/p>\n
Jon Afrizal, The Jakarta Post, Jambi<\/p>\n
The Jambi Police has grilled Machluddin Ahmad over his alleged
\ninvolvement in the misuse of Rp 8 billion (US$860,000) from the
\nWest Tanjungjabung legislative council budget.<\/p>\n
Machluddin was council speaker for the 1999-2004 term.<\/p>\n
A spokesman for the police said it was highly likely that
\nMachluddin would be arrested as a result of the questioning.<\/p>\n
\"Although he has not been detained yet ... Machluddin will
\nsoon be declared a suspect,\" police spokesman Adj. Sr. Comr.
\nDjoko Turochman told The Jakarta Post on Monday.<\/p>\n
In a separate development, Machluddin's counterpart at the
\nEast Tanjungjabung legislative council, Ibnu Hajar, has been
\ndetained for graft.<\/p>\n
Djoko said the Jambi Police had so far questioned nine former
\nmembers of the local council and five local officials. He added
\nthat there was a possibility that all 30 former councillors of
\nWest Tanjungjabung were implicated in the graft case.<\/p>\n
Jambi Governor Zulkifli Nurdin had previously given license to
\nthe police to question several members of the 1999-2004 council
\nwho had been reelected for another five-year term.<\/p>\n
Irregularities in the local budget was first revealed three
\nmonths ago in an audit conducted by the Supreme Audit Agency.<\/p>\n
At the same time, the Jambi Prosecutor's Office is handling a
\nRp 5.3 billion graft case allegedly involving East Tanjungjabung
\ncouncillors of the 1999-2004 term.<\/p>\n
Jambi Prosecutor's Office head Farchan Sunyoto said two other
\nformer council members under investigation were deputy speakers
\nRustam Effendi and Syaifuddin Anang.<\/p>\n
In addition, former council members Sabaruddin and Rajo
\nMuhammad would soon be declared suspects. The two were budget
\ncommittee chairmen in 2002 and 2003, respectively.<\/p>",
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