Puteh appears at KPK, grilled for nine hours

Tiarma Siboro and Muninggar Sri Saraswati, Jakarta

After defying two summons, Aceh Governor Abdullah Puteh finally appeared before the powerful Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Wednesday to answer questions on an alleged mark-up in the purchase of a helicopter in 2001.

Wearing a black working suit, Puteh, accompanied by his bodyguards, arrived at the KPK offices at 5:30 a.m. His lawyers, headed by Otto Cornelis Kaligis, arrived at around 7:30 a.m. The questioning, however, only started at 9 a.m.

Puteh was grilled for almost nine hours by a team of KPK investigators, who had declared him a suspect in the purchase of a Russian-made assault helicopter that allegedly inflicted some Rp 4 billion (US$440,000) in losses on the state.

During the questioning, KPK investigators addressed some 40 questions to Puteh, mostly about his role in the purchase of the helicopter, according to his lawyers, who also said that Puteh was very cooperative.

Puteh, who failed to answer two summonses on July 6 and July 9 respectively, refused to comment on his questioning, which ended at around 6:30 p.m. He did not leave the compound until 9 p.m., apparently to avoid waiting journalists.

His lawyers left the complex at around 7:30 p.m. The questioning will continue on Thursday.

KPK deputy chairman Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas said that the commission deemed Puteh to have been cooperative during the questioning.

"We have no plans to detain the suspect yet as he has been cooperative," he told a press conference.

The KPK, however, has yet to receive an official response from President Megawati Soekarnoputri about the suspension of Puteh, Erry said.

"We are still waiting for an official response. However, we will continue the investigation whatever the response turns out to be," he said.

Megawati said earlier that she needed more information from the commission about Puteh's alleged corruption before deciding whether or not to suspend him. Some legal experts have blasted her response as an attempt to buy time.

The law establishing the KPK, which provides extensive powers to the commission, requires it to bring a prosecution as soon as a person has been declared a suspect.

Many doubt whether the commission will be able to bring the governor to justice due to Puteh's close relationship with powerful people both in Jakarta and Aceh.

Separately, acting coordinating minister for political and security affairs Hari Sabarno said that Puteh should not hide behind his position in order to evade KPK investigation.

"He must come to the KPK and follow the legal procedures. Problems in Aceh should not used as a reason for him to escape the KPK summons," Hari said after a hearing with the House of Representatives' Commission II on legal and domestic affairs.

Earlier, Sabarno sent a letter to the KPK urging it to consider Puteh's duties as governor and civil emergency administrator in Aceh when scheduling a time for his questioning.

;JP; ANPAa..r.. Puteh-KPK-journalists Frantic female journos give Puteh run for money JP/01/Puteh

Frantic female journos give Puteh run for money

Known for his ability to avoid waiting journalists, Puteh managed to do so again by coming to the KPK offices at 6:30 a.m. when most hardworking Jakarta journalists were still sound asleep.

Given Puteh's well-known evasiveness, journalists decided to split up into groups on Wednesday to cover the four entrances to the KPK offices. They continued their vigil in front of the building even though Puteh's questioning ended at 6.30 p.m., and his lawyers had already left.

At about 9 p.m., Puteh and his adjutants emerged from the building. The awaiting newshounds, of course, surrounded him to hear his comments.

While attempting to shield their boss from dozens of eager hacks, his adjutants hit M. Suharto Assegaf, a reporter for ANTV television, on the forehead. Assegaf suffered minor scrapes.

Some of the journalists, enraged by the incident, shouted "corruptor" while others yelled "thief...thief" at Puteh, who was by this stage struggling to escape from several tenacious female journalists, who were hanging on to him by the jacket and tie in a bid to slow down his escape.

Assegaf said that he would report the case to the Indonesia Television Journalists Association (IJTI). -- JP