KPK told to get tough on Puteh probe
KPK told to get tough on Puteh probe
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) was urged to exercise
its authority to ensure the thorough investigation of Nanggroe
Aceh Darussalam Governor Abdullah Puteh, who failed on Tuesday to
respond to a summons to appear for questioning.
"The KPK must use their power, granted by the law, to ask the
President to suspend the governor, or freeze his assets," said
Romli Atmasasmita, coordinator of the Monitoring Forum for
Corruption Eradication.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Romli was accompanied by
other forum members, including legal experts involved in enacting
the law on the KPK, such as former justice minister Muladi and
senior lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution.
Earlier that day, Puteh sent a fax to the commission, that
said he could not show up for questioning at the KPK due to his
busy schedule. Instead, he pledged to appear on July 9.
However, his lawyers said their client would not answer the
KPK's summons as it was sent as a fax.
Puteh was charged with involvement in an alleged markup of Rp
12.6 billion (US$1.4 million) in the 2002 purchase of a Russian
Mi-2 helicopter by the Aceh administration. The alleged graft
cost the state some Rp 4 billion.
He had been grilled by the commission twice before he was
declared a suspect.
Romly asserted that if the KPK failed to use its power to
investigate corruptors who were senior state officials, it would
disgrace the commission.
Muladi said the forum backed the KPK's move and opposed any
intervention by top government officials in Jakarta.
"Do not let corruption eradication efforts be tainted by
political moves. Let it be settled by the law," he said.
A reliable source at the KPK complained that the commission
was denied access by the Office of the Coordinating Minister of
Political and Security Affairs to obtain data on corruption cases
in Aceh, which was collected by a ministry team.
The team, led by former finance minister Mar'ie Muhammad, was
assigned to monitor and supervise the implementation of the one-
year martial law in the restive province, including the
allocation of its budget.
The KPK sent a letter on June 10, asking the Office to give it
the data. But, in his reply to the request, acting security
minister Hari Sabarno told the commission to "coordinate directly
with the leadership of relevant agencies" to obtain the evidence.
According to a copy of Hari's letter to the commission, which
was obtained by The Jakarta Post, Hari argued the team's findings
had been submitted to the related agencies for follow-ups,
because the data was still preliminary evidence or information.
Hari had earlier sent a letter to the KPK, saying the central
government still "provided room and time" for Puteh to continue
serving as the Aceh governor and the administrator of the
province's state of civil emergency. The letter was issued as the
commission summoned Puteh for the first time.
The report from the Mar'ie-led team, which was leaked to the
media, shows at least 21 corruption cases worth billions of
rupiah took place during the first six months of the year of
martial law in Aceh, while other scandals hit the province in the
second period of the military operation that started on May 19
last year.