Puteh to sit in the dock soon<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The anticorruption court has named a panel of five judges who
\nwill hear the corruption case involving Aceh governor Abdullah
\nPuteh.<\/p>\n
The court, however, has not set a date for Puteh's first
\nhearing.<\/p>\n
Judges at the Central Jakarta District Court, which oversees
\nthe anticorruption court, named on Friday judges Krishna Menon,
\nGusrizal, Dudu Duswara, Achmad Linoh and I Made Hendra Kusuma to
\nhear Puteh's graft trial after they received the governor's case
\nfile and an indictment from the Corruption Eradication Commission
\n(KPK) earlier in the day.<\/p>\n
Puteh's trial will serve as a test case for the KPK, the
\nanticorruption court and the antigraft drive launched by
\nPresident Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.<\/p>\n
KPK prosecutors are charging Puteh with Law No. 31\/1999 on
\ncorruption eradication for his role in the alleged mark up in the
\npurchase price of a Russian-made helicopter by his administration
\nin 2001. The offense carries a maximum penalty of 20 year's jail.<\/p>\n
A KPK delegation led by deputy chairman Tumpak Hatorangan
\nPanggabean handed over the case file and indictment to Made
\nKarna, the head of the Central Jakarta District Court on Friday.<\/p>\n
Tumpak said his office had also sent the copy of indictment to
\nPuteh, who is currently being detained at the Salemba
\npenitentiary in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Tumpak said the KPK had listed 39 witnesses who would testify
\nagainst the governor during the trial.<\/p>\n
As soon as the trial starts, the government will suspend Puteh
\ntemporarily as Aceh governor.<\/p>\n
The KPK officials prosecuting the case are Chaidir Ramli,
\nWisnu Baroto and Yessy Esmeralda.<\/p>\n
The commission has named Puteh a suspect in the alleged mark-
\nup which cost the state about Rp 4 billion (US$440,000).<\/p>\n
According to the indictment, Puteh ordered the purchase of the
\nhelicopter, which was not part of spending in the Aceh provincial
\nbudget and without the consent of Aceh legislative council.<\/p>\n
The governor is also charged with illegally slashing Rp 700
\nmillion off the state budget allocated to each of 13 regental and
\nmunicipal administrations in the province to pay for the
\naircraft.<\/p>\n
Puteh diverted Rp 35 billion from the routine spending and Rp
\n9.1 billion illegally from the special funds allocated by the
\ncentral government for the regional administrations in Aceh.<\/p>\n
The KPK also accused Puteh of failing to mention the
\nhelicopter purchase in the revision of the provincial budget.<\/p>\n
Critics say rampant corruption in the natural resource-rich
\nprovince has only furthered the cause of Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
\nseparatists, who have been agitating in the area since 1976.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/puteh-to-sit-in-the-dock-soon-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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