Aceh governor arrested over graft charge

JAKARTA: Indonesia’s anti-corruption agency has arrested the governor of Aceh province over accusations that he took illegal fees for projects funded from more than US$500mil (RM2bil) of state funds, the latest high-profile target in a battle on graft.

Irawandi Yusuf, a former separatist rebel, became the first directly elected governor of the north-western province after a peace deal to end years of conflict was signed with Jakarta in the wake of the devastating 2004 tsunami.

Irawandi, who escaped from a jail where he was serving a sentence for treason after it flooded during the tsunami, was re-elected in 2017 for a second term as governor.

The province has a high level of autonomy, the only Indonesian area to use Islamic law.

The governor had been named a suspect, along with two businessmen and another official, said agency official Basaria Panjaitan.

“There was an alleged corruption offence for receiving gifts or promises by Aceh’s governor, related to the allocation and distribution of Aceh’s special autonomy budget,” Panjaitan said in a statement late on Wednesday.

“This is really costing the people of Aceh,” she added, saying that a budget of 8 trillion rupiah (RM2.24bil) was allocated for projects such as road building, poverty eradication, education and health.

Nine people were initially detained in Aceh before the four suspects were flown to Jakarta, Febri Diansyah, a spokesman for Indonesia’s corruption eradication commission (KPK), said in a text message.