More Lampung councillors charged with graft

Oyos Saroso HN, The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung, Lampung

Prosecutors here on Thursday have charged three more suspects in a graft case involving Rp 19.5 billion (US$2.2 million) of transactions of state funds in Lampung's provincial budget.

Those charged are former Lampung legislative council speaker Srie Atidah of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI- P), and her two former deputies -- Mochtar Hasan of the National Awakening Party (PKB) and Zulkarnain of the Golkar Party.

The suspects were charged after prosecutors questioned the three about irregularities amounting to Rp 19.5 billion found in the province's 2001-2002 budget.

Lampung Prosecutors Office head Darmono said prosecutors believed the three played a role in issuing orders to reimburse state funds from the budget when they served in office.

There was sufficient evidence of their involvement in the case, in which the three allegedly marked up funds allocated for the council, Darmono said.

"We will soon request permission from the home affairs minister (Hari Sabarno) to question Srie Atidah and Zulkarnain as suspects because they are still members of the council," he said.

Darmono said similar permission was not required to question Mochtar as he was no longer a councillor after being fired by his party.

On June 9, 2003, prosecutors also declared three other members of the Lampung legislature suspects in the same case.

They were Abdul Azib Zanim, from the National Mandate Party (PAN), who chaired the council's budget committee; his former secretary Tan Gatot Mahawisnu of PKB; and Fauzi Saleh, from Golkar who chaired the council's Commission D for budget affairs.

Prosecutor Zainal Abidin admitted his office was hampered by a lack of authority to question Zanim. Sabarno had not yet given his permission for this to happen, Zainal said.

The minister, however, had given his permission for prosecutors to quiz the two other men overseeing budgeting, Tan Gatot and Fauzi Saleh, Zainal said.

Sarbano's inaction over Zanim has fueled speculation he is being protected by central government.

Zanim, currently a deputy council speaker, was among local senior councillors who backed the replacements of 17 others for supporting Alzier Dianis Thabranie's bid as the Lampung governor.

Alzier was elected as the new governor in December 2002, defeating the incumbent Oemarsono, who was nominated by PDI-P leader President Megawati Soekarnoputri.

But months later, Hari annulled Alzier's victory and ordered a repeat gubernatorial election, as police laid graft charges against the governor.

Zanim then played a key role in arranging a new vote, scheduled for May 15, to elect the new governor, despite strong opposition from some political parties and NGOs.

Darmono did not rule out the possibility that all members of the current council would be charged for their alleged roles in the same corruption case.

But this depended on the results of further investigations, he said.

"What is certain is that there are six members of the Lampung legislative council who have been declared suspects because of their major roles in drafting the budget for the 2001-2002 period," Darmono said.