Aceh governor ready for corruption investigation
Nani Farida, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh, Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam
Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam Governor Abdullah Puteh said on Thursday he was ready to face questioning by the provincial martial law administration for his alleged role in several corruption cases.
"As an Indonesian citizen who is not immune to the law, any person must accept (questioning) if he or she needs to be investigated legally. This includes me if necessary," Puteh said in the provincial capital of Banda Aceh.
He made the statement amid widespread speculation in Aceh that martial law authorities would summon him soon for questioning over alleged graft offenses.
The speculation came after authorities arrested local finance bureau head TM Nizan in Puteh's administration on April 10.
Nizam was being questioned by intelligence officers of the Aceh martial law authority following a report by the Development Finance Audit Body (BPKP) the Puteh administration embezzled Rp 30 billion (US$3.5 million) in funds for electricity equipment procurement.
Other local senior officials, including the governor, could also be implicated in the case following the detention of Nizam.
Puteh denied being involved in corruption scandals in his administration.
"I have always coordinated with the Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam legislative council in creating projects. I have never done it unilaterally," he said.
Spokesman for the martial law authority Col. Ditya Sudarsono declined to say whether his office would soon summon Puteh for questioning.
However, Ditya said his office had been given the authority to arrest or detain corruption suspects since Aceh was placed under martial law in May 2003.
"We have never committed violations when arresting civil servants in this (Nizam's) case," he said.
He said his office would appoint corruption investigators at the recommendation of the Aceh Prosecutor's Office, who would later hand over the dossiers of suspects to police before they were taken to court.
Aceh is seen as one of the country's most corrupt provinces. Many of the local government's policies are perceived not to have delivered help to the people of the troubled region, which has had an ongoing separatist rebellion since the 1970s.
Nasir Djamil, a member of the Aceh legislative council, admitted graft cases were rampant in the resource-rich province but had never received serious scrutiny by the local authorities.
"It's the prerogative of the martial law administration to question all those involved and it is important to restore public trust in the government," he said.
Apart from the electricity equipment purchases, other projects of Puteh's administration have also sparked corruption allegations in Aceh.
These include the Gema Assalam development project for the poor, worth Rp 70 billion; the procurement of a cargo ship on Weh Island, valued at Rp 8.6 billion; and the budgeted Rp 103 billion in humanitarian aid for flood victims.
More than 4,000 of the 6,000 villages in the province were still classified as poor, Nasir said.
"Huge funds have been allocated from the budget to fight poverty. But most villages remain poor. Where has the money gone? It must have been corruption," he said.