Puteh suspended as Aceh governor
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono suspended Abdullah Puteh as Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam governor as he faced on Wednesday the second hearing of his corruption trial in Jakarta, which began on Monday.
A presidential decree on the suspension was issued on Sunday, when Puteh's province was crushed by a gigantic tsunami that was unleashed by an extremely powerful earthquake, killing over 30,000 people as of Wednesday.
Based on Presidential Decree No. 214/2004, a copy of which was obtained by The Jakarta Post on Wednesday, Puteh was made non- active as the governor at the request of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
The decree stated that the decision to suspend Puteh was to ensure his graft trial proceeded smoothly.
Copies of the decree -- which was effective after Susilo signed it on Sunday -- were sent to the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker, the House of Representatives speaker, the Regional Legislative Council (DPD) head, the State Audit Body (BPK) head, the Supreme Court president, all members of Susilo's Cabinet, and the KPK, as well as several relevant authorities in Aceh.
Puteh declined to respond to his suspension. Instead, he expressed his deep sorrow over the recent devastation in the restive province.
He is currently being detained in Salemba Penitentiary, Central Jakarta, to face trial at the Anticorruption Court on charges of marking up the price of a Russian chopper he bought for his provincial administration.
The KPK, which has been prosecuting him, said the scam caused at least Rp 10.8 billion (US$1.2 million) in losses to the state.
Puteh's lawyers have rejected the KPK's indictment against their client as "obscure".
The KPK has no authority to investigate and prosecute the graft case against Puteh, which took place in 2001, while the commission was set up a year later, they argued.
The lawyers added that the commission had used retroactive principles against their client, which, according to them, had violated the law.
They demanded that the Anticorruption Court suspend the trial, pending a court verdict on a judicial review of the law on the KPK's establishment, which was recently filed by businessman Bram HD Manoppo.
Bram, the director of a company that brokered the purchase of the Russian chopper, was also named a suspect in the same case by the KPK.
Constitutional Court president Jimly Asshidiqie, however, has said that the hearing of the judicial review on the KPK law should not be seen as an "obstacle" to the commission going ahead with prosecuting Puteh and Bram.
The defense team of lawyers also questioned the legal status of prosecutors dealing with the Puteh case.
Puteh's trial is being viewed by many as a test of Susilo's commitment to the war against corruption, which he vowed to make a priority in his first 100 days in office, since Oct. 20.