Prosecutor's office seizes 20 more motorcycles from Golkar

Prosecutor's office seizes 20 more motorcycles from Golkar

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Kuningan

The prosecutor's office in Kuningan, West Java, seized 20 more
motorcycles from local branches of the Golkar Party in connection
with a Rp 3.4 billion corruption case involving M. Misbach, the
regent of Sumedang.

The Suzuki R-100 motorcycles were confiscated from the party's
local staff. The prosecutor's office seized last month 90 out of
685 motorcycles allegedly purchased from funds embezzled by
Misbach from West Java's 1996-1997 budget.

The embezzlement which is being investigated by West Java
Prosecutor's Office, was allegedly committed by Misbach when he
was chief of the program planning bureau at the secretariat of
the provincial administration. So far, some 50 witnesses from the
provincial administration and the provincial chapter of Golkar
have been questioned over the case.

Ruhita Effendi, chief of Kuningan Prosecutor's Office, said
here on Monday that his office would continue to search for more
than 500 other motorcycles to be seized as evidence.

"Most of the seized motorcycles are in poor condition while
the more than 500 motorcycles being sought are believed to be
being used in subdistricts in the province and Banten," he said.

Enuy Marsuni, chairman of Kuningan's Golkar branch, confirmed
the seizure and said he had no objection to it as long as it was
part of the investigation.

"We are ready to cooperate with the local prosecutor's office
to carry out the corruption investigation," he said.

Meanwhile, Agung Laksono, deputy chairman of Golkar, said the
party's central board would prepare professional lawyers to
accompany Misbach in the case because he was a good party member
in the province.

Agung also denied Misbach was involved in the corruption case,
saying the motorcycles were purchased using money given by the
party to support the province.

"We don't want the prosecutor's office to politicize the
case," he said.

Golkar Chairman Akbar Tandjung is being tried on corruption
charges in Jakarta in line with the alleged misuse of Rp 40
billion from the National Logistics Agency (Bulog) when he was
minister/state secretary in former president B.J. Habibie's
Cabinet in 1998. Some of the funds were allegedly used by Golkar
in the 1999 general election.