Aceh prosecutors investigate bribery in caning case

Aceh prosecutors investigate bribery in caning case

Antara, Banda Aceh

A prosecutor in Bireun was questioned by Aceh prosecutors for allegedly taking bribes from some convicts, who were about to be caned as punishment for small time gambling.

The prosecutor in question, only identified by the initials E.N., was reportedly being questioned by supervising deputy of Aceh prosecutor's office, Chairuddin Sipahutar, for eight hours on Thursday.

Apart from E.N., two other witnesses -- Amiruddin, a convict who had not been caned at the time of the alleged bribe in a bid to ease the punishment, and Ikhwani, who allegedly served as the broker to grant the prosecutor the "thank you" money -- were also being questioned.

When confirmed, Chairuddin admitted on Friday that his office had questioned E.N. and the two witnesses, but declined to provide further information. He said apart from two witnesses, the office would also examine five other witnesses.

Last month, the Bireuen regental administration had 15 men, convicted of gambling, publicly caned in the first implementation of corporal punishment in Aceh since the province adopted Islamic law, or sharia, in 2003. Other regencies have not adopted the punishment in the devoutly Muslim province.

Earlier, it was expected that 26 convicted gamblers would be caned, however after medical check-ups, only 15 men were deemed fit, including one man in his 60s. The administration will cane the rest of the men when they are fit enough to face the punishment.

The bribery investigation began following the recent instruction from the chief of the Aceh prosecutor's office, Andi Amir Achmad. He was responding to accusations that E.N. had taken bribes or "thank you" money from the convicts.

"In the prosecutor's office there should be no such thing as 'thank you' money. So we'll investigate the suspected prosecutor whether it's true that he received the 'thank you' money or not," Andi said.

A day before the public caning in Bireun, E.N. reportedly admitted to journalists that he received "thank you" money worth Rp 3 million (US$315) from several defendants. But it turned out that the convicts received two punishments, a two-month jail term and the caning.

The sharia system was implemented in Aceh in 2003, two years after the central government granted special autonomy to the province, ostensibly as a way to curb separatist demands. The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) has been fighting for independence from Indonesia since 1976.

Before the canings took place, most Aceh regional governments had already begun enforcing Muslim dress codes, mandatory prayers five times a day and the giving of alms.