Abdullah Puteh to face the music on April 6

Abdullah Puteh to face the music on April 6

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Anticorruption Court is scheduled on April 6 to hand down a
verdict for suspended Aceh governor Abdullah Puteh charged with
corruption over the 2001 purchase of a Russian-made MI-2
helicopter.

Puteh, 56, has been on trial since late December, with
prosecutors demanding that he be jailed for eight years, fined Rp
500 million (US$53,673) and return some Rp 10 billion in losses
to the state.

Analysts have said all along that Puteh's trial would be a
test case for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's government and
its commitment to fighting graft cases involving high-ranking
government people.

Nine days before the verdict, Puteh continued on Monday to
deny any wrongdoing in buying the helicopter, claiming it was an
honest and transparent deal in line with the autonomy laws.

"Law No. 22/1999 on regional administration gives the governor
substantial authority to manage the administration in accordance
with the province's character and potential. Therefore, my
initiative in purchasing the helicopter and formulating the
mechanism to seal the procurement deal was in line with the law,"
he explained.

In his 29-page defense plea, Puteh said Law No. 25/1999 also
gives him the authority to manage the provincial budget,
including the reallocation of money from other budget items to
buy the aircraft.

To support his argument, the defendant also cited Laws No.
18/2001 and No. 44/1999, which define the province's prerogatives
as an autonomous region wherein the Aceh governor has a special
authority on administration and financial management.

"Therefore, as the Aceh governor I am allowed to formulate
policies outside of the established laws, as long as they are
accountable and transparent. As for this case, the Aceh
legislative council has accepted my accountability report, so
that proves that the decision was accountable," he stated.

Yessi Esmiralda, the only prosecutor attending Monday's
session, said she was convinced that the judges would issue a
fair verdict and insisted that Puteh had violated various laws in
the purchase deal.

Over the last three months, the court has heard testimonies
from more than 40 witnesses, mostly Aceh administration officials
such as regents, mayors and officials at the provincial treasury.

Both prosecutors and defense lawyers summoned experts on state
administrative affairs, business law and financial auditing to
explain proper procurement procedures by the provincial
administration. Besides witnesses, prosecutors also presented 120
documents as evidence against Puteh.

The panel of five judges, led by Kresna Menon, is expected to
face a tough time coming up with a verdict in the first-ever
graft case brought to it by the year-old Corruption Eradication
Commission (KPK), as observers say the prosecution has failed to
build a strong case against Puteh, especially because the
purchase has not even been entirely completed.

Moreover, the defendant is being defended by veteran lawyers
with solid reputations and lot of experience, including O.C.
Kaligis, Juan Felix Tampubolon, Rocky Waworuntu and Muhammad
Assegaf. (006)