NTB prosecutors pressured to get tough on corruption

NTB prosecutors pressured to get tough on corruption

Luh Putu Trisna Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Mataram

More than 1,500 people rallied here on Monday to pressure
prosecutors to complete their investigations into Rp 48 billion
(US$5.3 million) worth of graft cases at several provincial and
regency legislative councils.

West Nusa Tenggara Governor Lalu Serinate, acting provincial
council speaker Sunardi Ayub and his acting deputy Rahmat Hidayat
are among those who have been named as suspects in the scandal.

The peaceful protest was organized by the Anti-Corruption
Movement of the NTB People (Gerak) at the West Nusa Tenggara
(NTB) Prosecutor's Office.

The demonstrators said they were frustrated by the long wait
for the results of the investigations into the graft cases.

Last May, a number of non-governmental organizations grouped
in Gerak filed a police report against the NTB provincial
council, accusing it of misappropriating Rp 32.13 billion from
the 2001 and 2002 budgets.

Gerak also provided evidence of graft cases in the regency
councils of Sumbawa (Rp 6.4 billion), Mataran (Rp 5.2 billion)
and Central Lombok (Rp 5.9 billion).

The protesters demanded the prosecutors sign a statement
promising to finish the investigations within 30 days or leave
the province.

"If they are not capable of dealing with these corruption
cases, the chief prosecutors should resign," a protester shouted
during the rally.

None of the prosecutors agreed to sign the document.

The Gerak activists said there was no reason the prosecutors
could not speed up the investigations, claiming they had
sufficient evidence.

"We have provided them with evidence, so how could they say
(they don't have enough proof)?" one protester said.

The demonstrators slammed the lack of action against corrupt
councillors in the province, who still had not been charged with
graft.

"There is still not one council member in West Nusa Tenggara
who has been charged despite the clear evidence against them,"
said Endriardi, one of the demonstrators.

He urged prosecutors to arrest all of the graft suspects and
recover the state funds stolen by local councillors.

Prosecutors have said that several councillors suspected of
graft and reelected to the provincial council in the April 5
legislative polls should resign, as they did not deserve to
represent people.

The 55 new members of the provincial legislature were sworn in
last week for the 2004-2009 term, including at least five
corruption suspects.

Prawata Kusuma, a senior official at the West Nusa Tenggara
Prosecutor's Office, promised to continue the investigations of
at least 18 graft suspects in the provincial council.

Eleven of the suspects will be questioned soon, he added.

Prawata said his office was seeking permission from the
central government to summon the NTB governor, the council's
acting speaker and his deputy as suspects in the graft cases.

Three other suspects are former councillors from the
military/police faction. Any investigations into these three will
be handled by the military and the police.