Puteh declared graft suspect

The Jakarta Post Jakarta/Banda Aceh

Governor Abdullah Puteh was declared a graft suspect on Tuesday for allegedly marking up the price of a Russian-made helicopter the Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam administration purchased in 2002.

"We have ordered investigators to question him as a suspect. We have summoned him and he is expected to be questioned next week," Tumpak Hatorangan Panggabean, the deputy chairman of the powerful Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), said.

In Banda Aceh, Puteh said he would respect the due process of the law.

"It is a process. I have heard nothing yet and I cannot comment as I have yet to receive the summons. I will respect the law," Puteh said.

Aceh Police are also investigating the alleged markup by the Aceh administration on the purchase of used printing machines valued at Rp 4.2 billion. The machines, however, are not functioning.

Puteh's is the first major case the KPK has handled since its establishment almost six months ago.

Tumpak said the commission had sufficient preliminary evidence of corruption by Puteh in the purchase of the Russian-made Mi-2 PLC Rostove Mill helicopter in 2002 using money from the provincial budget.

He said investigators had found state losses of Rp 4 billion (US$420,000) in the purchase, but were still attempting to determine the total amount of losses suffered by the state in the case.

Investigators found that the Aceh administration purchased the helicopter for Rp 12.6 billion, while the Navy had bought the same type of helicopter for Rp 6.1 billion.

"We are still trying to get the exact figure as the helicopter purchased by the Aceh administration has several sophisticated devices the one bought by the Navy does not have, such as a bullet-proof windscreen," Tumpak said.

The KPK has yet to order his suspension as governor or impose a travel ban on Puteh, who is the head of the civil emergency administration in Aceh.

However, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said on Tuesday the government would not take action against Puteh until there was a verdict in his case.

"As long as there is no legally binding verdict in his case, he is still the governor," Hari said before meeting with the special committee of the House of Representatives in charge of deliberating revisions to the regional autonomy law.

He also said Puteh could only be suspended with a recommendation from the Aceh Legislative Council.

In his capacity as coordinating minister for political and security affairs, Hari had earlier asked the KPK to "provide sufficient time and room for Puteh to fulfill his duties as the head of the civil emergency administration" in Aceh.

"The civil emergency administration hopes the KPK will consider the time constraints on Abdullah Puteh in meeting the summons ... and to provide sufficient time and room for him to carry out his duties," Hari said in a letter, a copy of which was made available to The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.

Hasballah M. Saad, an Acehnese community leader and a member of the National Commission on Human Rights, said on Tuesday the President and Minister Hari must suspend Puteh from all of his duties until the court clears him in the graft case.

"Such a suspension is necessary in order to regain the trust of the Acehnese," Hasballah said.