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.