Councillors grilled over bribery

Councillors grilled over bribery

KENDARI, Southeast Sulawesi: The government prosecutor's
office in Kendari, capital of Southeast Sulawesi, grilled four
members of the provincial legislative council in connection with
the alleged bribery case during the recent gubernatorial
election.

L.M. Bariun, Misbahuddin, Chaidid and Abidin Ramly denied
taking any bribes from the gubernatorial candidates.

Many councillors, including the four, admitted to receiving
financial contributions from Noufal, coordinator of winning
governor Ali Mazi's campaign team, but they did not consider the
money to be a bribe.

Chief of the government prosecutor's office Abbas Ashari
declined to comment on the results of the interrogation.

Reliable sources at the police office, however, said the four
were interrogated because of Noufal's confession to the police
that he transferred Rp 50 million to the councillors, including
the questioned four, to their back accounts prior to the
election.

Abidin stated later that he had been interrogated as a witness
in the bribery case.

The bribery was revealed by a councillor who was later killed
in a traffic accident in Makassar. He admitted to taking a bribe
to vote in favor of Ali Mazi. -- Antara