Two Sumatra regents named graft suspects

Two Sumatra regents named graft suspects

The Jakarta Post, Medan/Padang/Surabaya

Two regents in North Sumatra province have been named suspects in
two separate graft cases.

Chairullah, currently acting Serdang Bedagai regent and a
former secretary to the Deli Serdang regency administration, was
named a suspect on Wednesday in the alleged embezzlement of Rp
2.3 billion from the 2003 Deli Serdang regency budget.

Serdang Bedagai regency was recently partitioned off from Deli
Serdang regency.

Also on Wednesday, Nias Regent Binahati Bahea was named a
suspect in the alleged embezzlement of Rp 2 billion from the
regency's fiscal balance fund.

"We are completing the case files on the two suspects and will
submit them immediately to the courts for prosecution," said
Edward Rismadi, deputy chief for intelligence affairs at the
North Sumatra Prosecutor's Office.

Earlier, the North Sumatra Prosecutor's Office named
Mandailing Natal Regent Amru Daulay a suspect in a Rp 450 million
(US$50,000) bribery case at the regency council.

Amru is accused of bribing Mandailing Natal regency
councillors to approve his 2001 accountability speech.

Separately, the West Sumatra High Court rejected on Wednesday
an appeal by former Padang city councillor Chairul Indra and
increased the convict's jail sentence.

Indra, 53, deputy speaker of the Padang city council from
1999 to 2004, was sentenced to nine moths in jail in January this
year by the Padang District Court for using a fake high school
diploma.

After rejecting his appeal, the court in West Sumatra
increased the sentence to two years in jail.

Padang court clerk Amrizal said Indra had 14 days to file an
appeal with the Supreme Court.

Despite the ruling, Indra remains free pending a possible
final appeal to the Supreme Court. Indra, a councillor from the
United Development Party (PPP), was found guilty of forging his
high school diploma.

The forged diploma was attached to a document he filed to
contest the Padang mayoral election in April last year.

Indra and running mate Jasrial won the election but the
victory was annulled by the central government after Indra was
convicted of forging his diploma.

Separately in East Java, East Java Police questioned on
Wednesday Banyuwangi Regent Samsul Hadi for alleged graft in the
purchase of two ships that might have caused state losses of Rp 5
billion.

After questioning, Samsul said that there was no markup in the
purchase of the ships, as has been alleged by local non-
governmental organizations.