Court acquits 'Gurita' suspect

Court acquits 'Gurita' suspect

BANDA ACEH, Aceh: The court has acquitted Ahmadi Kusumo, the
head of a state-owned ferry office, who was accused of negligence
after an overloaded ferry sank off Weh Island, Aceh, last year
killing more than 300 people onboard.

Antara reported yesterday that the Banda Aceh District Court
released 50-year-old Kusumo of all charges Monday in connection
with the disaster which happened in bad weather on Jan. 19, 1996.

Kusumo, who heads the Banda Aceh branch of state-owned PT
Angkutan Sungai Danau dan Penyebrangan, which operated the Gurita
ferry, was the second official cleared of charges linked to the
ferry accident.

The same court earlier released a port official who allowed
the overloaded ferry to set sail from Banda Aceh.

Only 39 people were rescued, while 55 bodies were recovered
and 283, including an unknown number of foreigners, were never
found.

A separate maritime tribunal declared that bad weather, not
overloading, was the cause of the accident. (swe)