utgoing Takalar, South Sulawesi regent Burhanuddin Baharuddin lost a pretrial motion he lodged to challenge a recent decision of the South Sulawesi Prosecutor’s Office, which named him a graft suspect in a 2015 land procurement case that cost the state Rp 18.5 billion (US$1.36 million).
Riyanto Adam Pontoh, the sole judge presiding over the case at the Makassar District Court, ruled on Tuesday in favor of the prosecutor’s office and rejected Burhanuddin's pretrial motion on the grounds that the decision to name him a suspect was based on lawful evidence.
"The suspect naming was legitimate since it was based on evidence. Therefore, the court rejects his petition,” Riyanto said during Tuesday’s hearing.
Burhanuddin was named a suspect in July for reportedly abusing his authority in granting a principle business license to private company PT Karya Insan Cirebon and allowing it to develop a 150-hectare plot of land initially designated by the government to be transformed into an industrial zone for transmigration purposes.
Burhanuddin, who lost a reelection bid in February, will end his tenure as Takalar regent in December.
Investigators have also named three other people suspects in the case that came to light in Laikang village, Mangarabombang district — district head Muhammad Noer Utary, village head Sila Laidi and village secretary Andi Sose — for their alleged roles in selling land to the company. (ipa)
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