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)