Former Banda Aceh Mayor goes on trial for graft

Nani Afrida, Banda Aceh, Aceh

Zulkarnain, a former Banda Aceh Mayor, went on trial on Tuesday at the Banda Aceh district court on graft charges.

In the first hearing on Tuesday, the 48-year-old former mayor was indicted for embezzling state money for personal gain to the tune of Rp 3.5 billion (US$ 368,421).

According to prosecutor Moh. Adnan, the graft case began in 2002 when the municipality got Rp 10 billion, for the budget item entitled "funds for people's economic empowerment".

The Rp 10 billion was supposed to be used to for soft loans to poor entrepreneurs. It turned out later that only Rp 6.5 billion was used for that purpose, while the remaining Rp 3.5 billion allegedly went to Zulkarnain, according to the prosecutor.

The prosecutor added that the defendant had ordered officials at the municipal treasury to transfer the Rp 3.5 billion to his account. "The first transfer amounted to Rp 3 billion and the second was Rp 500 million," said the prosecutor.

The defendant was charged with violating the law on corruption, which carries a maximum sentence of death.

Zulkarnain, who served between 1998 and 2003, was arrested on January 15 this year and incarcerated at Keudah Penitentiary. The second hearing will be next week.

Another top Aceh official who is set to face prosecution on graft case is Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh. He has been named a suspect for allegedly marking up the price of a Russian-made helicopter that the Aceh provincial administration purchased two years ago.