Puteh suspended as Aceh governor

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.