Puteh to sit in the dock soon

Puteh to sit in the dock soon

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The anticorruption court has named a panel of five judges who
will hear the corruption case involving Aceh governor Abdullah
Puteh.

The court, however, has not set a date for Puteh's first
hearing.

Judges at the Central Jakarta District Court, which oversees
the anticorruption court, named on Friday judges Krishna Menon,
Gusrizal, Dudu Duswara, Achmad Linoh and I Made Hendra Kusuma to
hear Puteh's graft trial after they received the governor's case
file and an indictment from the Corruption Eradication Commission
(KPK) earlier in the day.

Puteh's trial will serve as a test case for the KPK, the
anticorruption court and the antigraft drive launched by
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

KPK prosecutors are charging Puteh with Law No. 31/1999 on
corruption eradication for his role in the alleged mark up in the
purchase price of a Russian-made helicopter by his administration
in 2001. The offense carries a maximum penalty of 20 year's jail.

A KPK delegation led by deputy chairman Tumpak Hatorangan
Panggabean handed over the case file and indictment to Made
Karna, the head of the Central Jakarta District Court on Friday.

Tumpak said his office had also sent the copy of indictment to
Puteh, who is currently being detained at the Salemba
penitentiary in Central Jakarta.

Tumpak said the KPK had listed 39 witnesses who would testify
against the governor during the trial.

As soon as the trial starts, the government will suspend Puteh
temporarily as Aceh governor.

The KPK officials prosecuting the case are Chaidir Ramli,
Wisnu Baroto and Yessy Esmeralda.

The commission has named Puteh a suspect in the alleged mark-
up which cost the state about Rp 4 billion (US$440,000).

According to the indictment, Puteh ordered the purchase of the
helicopter, which was not part of spending in the Aceh provincial
budget and without the consent of Aceh legislative council.

The governor is also charged with illegally slashing Rp 700
million off the state budget allocated to each of 13 regental and
municipal administrations in the province to pay for the
aircraft.

Puteh diverted Rp 35 billion from the routine spending and Rp
9.1 billion illegally from the special funds allocated by the
central government for the regional administrations in Aceh.

The KPK also accused Puteh of failing to mention the
helicopter purchase in the revision of the provincial budget.

Critics say rampant corruption in the natural resource-rich
province has only furthered the cause of Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
separatists, who have been agitating in the area since 1976.