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.