Regent skips police probe

SURABAYA: Situbondo regent Immunarso, who is also the Democratic Party regency chapter chairman, did not show up at the provincial police to be questioned as a witness in a graft case worth Rp 43.75 billion (US$4.6 million).

Head of the corruption crime investigation unit at the police headquarters Adj. Sr. Comr. I Nyoman Komin said the regent could not come to the second questioning session because he had to discuss a revised budget draft bill with the regency legislative council at the same time Thursday.

He said Immunarso pledged to come on Saturday to fulfill the police's summons.

The police questioned the regent for the first time on Monday as a witness in an investigation into seven suspects and their involvement in the disbursement of the regency funds to two companies for a coal trade in 2005. The seven suspects are two Situbondo officials, three executives of the Bank BNI branch office and two executives of the a private company PT Sentra Artha Utama in Jakarta. -- JP