Cirebon mayor to face graft probe

Cirebon mayor to face graft probe

CIREBON, West Java: The Cirebon prosecutor's office said on
Wednesday it had formed a team to investigate alleged corruption
cases involving billions of rupiah, which implicated the city's
mayor.

The move followed the findings by the Indonesian Democratic
Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) faction in the Cirebon
legislative council that Mayor Lasmana Suriaatmadja was involved
in numerous graft-tainted projects.

"PDI Perjuangan's findings have yet to be formally reported to
us, but we have responded to the information that we do have by
commencing an intensive investigation into the cases," Cirebon
prosecutor's office head Iskamto said.

The team includes several senior local prosecutors, he added.

Iskamto vowed to take the mayor and other possible suspects to
court, should sufficient evidence be found to charge them in more
than 10 suspect projects that were funded by the 2001 budget.

"We will not hesitate to probe the cases, although we have to
summon Mayor Lasmana," he said. --Antara