Regent denies graft charges

Wed, 09/10/2008 10:56 AM  |  National

JAKARTA: Tengku Azmun Jaafar, the suspended regent of Pelalawan, Riau province, pleaded innocence here Tuesday to charges of illegally endorsing the development of a forest area.

Tengku is accused of illegally authorizing 15 companies to develop 120,000 hectares of forest in Pelalawan between 2002 and 2003, resulting in Rp 1.2 trillion (US$132 million) in state losses.

"The defendant's decision to issue the authorization letters for forest resource use should not be considered the cause of any state losses because the companies in question were unable to clear land before they obtained authorization from the Riau forestry agency," Tengku's lawyer Amir Syamsuddin told the Corruption Court.

He said the defendant hadn't had the authority to validate proposals sent by companies to develop the land.

"It was decided by a team from the Riau forestry agency," Amir added.

If found guilty, Tengku could face a 12-year prison sentence and either a Rp 500 million fine or an additional six months in jail. He could also face restitutions of up to Rp 19.8 billion. -- JP

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