West Java prosecutors confiscate motorcycles

West Java prosecutors confiscate motorcycles

Nana Rukmana, The Jakarta Post, Bandung

West Java prosecutors probing a corruption case allegedly
involving West Java Governor R. Nuriana have confiscated hundreds
of motorcycles to be used as evidence, it was reported here on
Monday.

According to the prosecutors' office, the governor was
suspected of stealing Rp 3.4 billion from the Governor's
Instruction Fund to buy hundreds of motorcycles to be used by the
cadres from former ruling party Golkar during campaigning in the
province in 1997.

The corruption case also implicated Misbach, a former chief of
the province's government program designers, who is now the
regent of Sumedang regency, West Java.

Basuni Masyarif, the head of the prosecutors' team for the
case, said on Monday that until now they had confiscated 160
motorcycles from a suspected total of 685 given to party cadres
in several districts of the province before the general elections
in 1997.

Reliable sources in Cirebon told The Jakarta Post on Monday
that the prosecutors had confiscated about 90 motorcycles from
districts in Cirebon alone.

He said that they had questioned some 75 witnesses for the
case, including regents, mayors, and a number of officials from
the provincial and district administrations.

The case came to light when several non-governmental
organizations and legislators from the province reported the
corruption case to the police two years ago.

Basyuni said that they had had difficulties in questioning
Nuriana as the governor was very busy and unable to attend such
questioning.

So far, he said, only Misbach was the main suspect and the
alleged perpetrator of the corruption although many have
suspected senior officials in the province, including the
governor himself.

The prosecutors will question Misbach again on April 1.