Authorities on Tuesday arrested and charged the governor of the war-ravaged Aceh province in northern Sumatra in a high-profile corruption case that will test Indonesia's newly formed anti-graft court. The case against Gov. Abdullah Puteh is expected to complicate efforts to restore civilian rule to Aceh after martial law — imposed there last year to help crush a long-running separatist insurgency — was lifted in May. Puteh has denied any wrongdoing
and refused to step down,
| "Nope. Nope. Ain't gonna do it." |
despite the charges that he illegally profited from a 2002 deal to buy a helicopter for his regional government. If tried as expected within 90 days, Puteh will be the first suspect to appear before the country's Special Corruption Court, established in 2003 to help fight the graft that is endemic in Indonesian society. |