President urged to suspend suspect regent

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has been urged to suspend East Lampung Regent and graft suspect Satono to ensure sound administrative governance.

Satono is currently standing trial over graft allegations. Many of his administration’s subordinates have come to the Tanjung Karang District Court to give support, which consequently has been deemed as slowing the administration’s performance.

Hundreds of Satono’s supporters, who have been demanding his release at each trial hearing, are considered to be disturbing other people. They have staged rallies at the court three times since Dec. 20.

Many regency officials, down to subdistrict administrations, have joined the rallies, thereby disrupting the civil servants’ performances and public services, East Lampung councilor Made Tangkas said.

“It would be better if President SBY temporarily dismiss Regent Satono from his post. The legal basis is clear, Law No. 32/2004 on regional administration,” he said on Monday.

The law stipulates that the head of a regency administration should be made non-active when he or she is named a suspect, he said.

“Only with a non-active status can Regent Satono concentrate on the trial. If he is not convicted, he can be reinstated to his post.”

The same call was also expressed by East Lampung Anticorruption Committee coordinator Ahmad Yulden Erwin. “The non-active status will guarantee the judges’ neutrality in the hearings. The rallies have pressured the court,” he said.

The panel of judges, presided by Robert Simorangkir, charged Satono for corruption of Rp 108 billion (US$12 million), and for accepting gratuities worth Rp 10.5 billion from Sugiharto Wiharjo, alias Alay, owner of BPR Tripanca Setiadana bank. The Rp 108 billion, which was deposited at the bank from the regency’s 2008 budget, could not be withdrawn because the bank had been liquidated. Satono was also accused to having deposited the fund without approval from the regency legislature and without an unofficial record from the bank.

The protesters demanded the release of the defendant, arguing that the Ministerial Decree No. 29/2002 on regional finance management, on which the charge against Satono was based, had been annulled.