Former mayor declared graft suspect

Former mayor declared graft suspect

BANDA ACEH: The prosecutor's office announced on Monday that
Banda Aceh's former mayor Zulkarnain was a suspect in an
embezzlement case involving Rp 3.5 billion (US$411,765).

Pribadi Suwandi, a prosecutor investigating the case, said
Zulkarnain was still at large. Sources said he had already fled
to Jakarta on Jan. 7, aboard a Jatayu Airline flight.

The prosecutor said that the case began in 2002, when the
Banda Aceh mayoralty received People's Economy Empowerment (PER)
funds amounting to Rp 10 billion.

Instead of channeling all the Rp 10 billion funds into
development, Zulkarnain allegedly put Rp 3.5 billion into his own
bank account.

If found guilty he could face a maximum jail sentence of 20
years.

The prosecutor's office said local official Tarmidzi and PER
head T. Surya were also suspects in the case. The two are being
held in the province's Keudah Penitentiary. -- JP