Jambi official detained in graft case
The Jakarta Post, Jambi, Padang/Samarinda
Prosecutors in Jambi province said on Thursday they were detaining a senior government official for alleged graft that cost the state more than Rp 300 million (US$33,333) in losses.
Jambi national unity and people's protection office head Anang Fachri was detained shortly after undergoing questioning on Wednesday, local chief prosecutor M. Adi Toegarisman said.
He said the arrest warrant for the suspect was effective for 20 days.
"He has been detained because of concerns that the suspect may destroy evidence or flee to evade the investigation," Adi told The Jakarta Post.
He said that before being detained, Anang had returned only Rp 30 million of the corrupted money and that this would not influence the prosecution.
Anang is accused of marking up the funds for the training of civilian security guards and to procure uniforms for them. The two projects actually cost only Rp 600 million but Anang had increased the budget to Rp 962 million, Adi said.
He also said his office had placed Rita Purniati, a road development project treasurer at the Jambi Public Works Agency, under city arrest after being questioned twice for allegedly stealing Rp 200 million from state funds.
Rita had been reported to the authorities by the project contractor, CV Takasumir, after she refused to pay the company Rp 200 million that was paid through her bank account.
The company accused Rita of spending the money for her own personal use.
In Padang, an antigraft forum urged on Thursday prosecutors to recommend that President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono suspend West Sumatra Governor Zainal Bakar for his alleged role in misusing Rp 5.9 billion from the province's 2002 budget.
The West Sumatra Concern Forum (FPSB) said the prosecutors should take further legal action against the governor after naming him a suspect in the graft case.
"The prosecutors also imposed a travel ban on Zainal Bakar on Dec. 16, so the move to make him non-active for an investigation is badly required," FPSB coordinator Adi Surya told a press conference in Padang.
He said that allowing the governor to remain free after being implicated in the corruption case was against Presidential Instruction No. 5/2004 on corruption eradication, which was issued by the President on Dec. 9.
The instruction requires all government officials to seriously fight corruption cases across Indonesia.
"How can the governor carry out the presidential instruction, while he is a graft suspect?" Surya argued.
He said the forum would send a letter to the President asking him to immediately suspend Zainal Bakar and appoint an acting governor for West Sumatra.
Surya said the law allowed the President to make an official non-active at the recommendation of prosecutors.
Former Padang mayor Zuiyen Rais was suspended from his post in 2000 when he stood trial in a case, after prosecutors made a request to the president.
In Samarinda, the East Kalimantan Prosecutor's Office said on Thursday it would question 12 members of the provincial legislative council in connection with a graft case involving Rp 85 billion.
Twelve councillors who were reelected in the April 5 General Elections have been named suspects in the case.
"We will soon summons them after obtaining permission from the President to question these councillors," local prosecutor Muhammad Hamid said.
He said his office would also declare another person a suspect in the same scam.