Panca Nugraha, Mataram – Eggs flew through the air Saturday as tens of angry students in Mataram protested what they called slow progress in handling corruption cases at the West Nusa Tenggara provincial council.

The students, who were from the anticorruption movement, demanded the province prosecutor's office and high court take serious action on corruption cases.

The protesters pelted eggs at the prosecutor's office, which was closed, as police officers tried to prevent them from entering the office compound.

"We want law enforcers to be consistent in investigating and punishing those involved in corruption cases in the province, including at the council," a protester said.

The students were referring to alleged embezzlement from the council's 2001-2002 budget. Last year, the prosecutor's office named as suspects 12 former councillors who served during the 2000-2004 term. The budget-padding allegedly cost the country around Rp 17.5 billion (over US$2 million).

Court proceedings on the case have started at Mataram High Court. Ten suspects were put on trial; two others had died. The protesters also demanded an investigation of Governor HL Serinata, who was the council speaker at the time.

The demonstrators then continued their rally at the high court, some 300 meters from the prosecutor's office, to protest the court's failure to present Serinata as a witness in the trials.

Responding to the protest, the spokesman for the prosecutor's office, Maryadi, said by phone that his office has worked hard on corruption cases in the province, including the alleged case at the council.

He said in the council case, there was a suspected padding of the budget for the councillors' allowances. "We're serious in dealing with the case," Maryadi said.

He said that the prosecutor is scheduled to read charges to the defendants on May 9 and 10.

The office, he said, was also looking into other alleged corruption cases in the province, but he said he could not make the details public since the cases were still under investigation.

Separately, the coordinator of People's Solidarity for Transparency's legal division, Basri Mulyani, questioned the court's seriousness in working on the case since it failed to present the governor as a key witness. "Basically, the court has the right to force Serinata to testify at the trial," he said.

He said the provincial government, council and law enforcers should sign a memorandum of understanding to fight corruption. "Or, maybe they were all behind these corruption cases," Basri said.