Regent acquitted of graft charges
Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya
The district court in Surabaya, East Java, acquitted a regent and two others of corruption charges, saying there was not enough evidence to convict the suspects.
Following the court session on Thursday, Sampang Regent Fadhilah Budiono met with his supporters and gave them money inside envelopes for their support during the trial.
The panel of judges, presided over by Wiempi Sekewael, said in its decision that the regent and two other defendants were being acquitted because government prosecutors failed to present convincing evidence against them.
"There is no proof that the defendants embezzled subsidized rice meant for 3,500 poor families and refugees in Sampang. It is not certain whether the rice was distributed by Mohammad Aminudin, owner of rice distributor CV Amin Jaya in the regency," the judges ruled.
The panel of judges also said that a number of subdistrict chiefs testified that the regent coordinated with all of the subdistrict chiefs prior to the distribution of the rice.
Fadhilah, along with Aminuddin and Asyhar, Sampang administration secretary, were charged with embezzling 721 of 989 tons of subsidized rice earmarked for poor families and refugees in the regency between August 1999 and January 2000, causing Rp 1.6 billion in state losses.
The three suspects were charged after a local group opposed to Fadhilah reported the alleged embezzlement to the local police and government prosecutor's office.
Some Sampang residents demanded that Fadhilah not be seated for a second term of office until the case was heard in court.
However, home minister Hari Sabarno ordered East Java Governor Imam Utomo to swear in the regent, saying that the regent would be dismissed if he was found guilty of the corruption charges.
The regent's installment caused a violent clash between residents supporting Fadhilah and those opposing him.
Government prosecutor Amiruddin Patja said he was considering whether to appeal the district court's decision to a higher court.
Numerous residents opposed to Fadhilah attended the court session, holding banners demanding the judges sentence the defendants to jail.
Fadhilah met with supporters following the decision and gave each of them Rp 150,000 in appreciation for their support.
"They came here on their own initiative and supported me as I faced these charges," he said.
He also pledged that he would not take retaliatory action against those who filed the complaint against him and those opposed to his leadership.
"Let's end the political friction and develop a better future," he said.