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.