Aceh chopper broker faces court verdict<\/p>\n
JAKARTA: Judges at the Anticorruption Court are scheduled to
\nhand down a verdict on Sept. 20 in the case of businessman Bram
\nManoppo, who has been charged with graft over the 2001 purchase
\nof a Russian-made helicopter by the Aceh administration.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors had demanded that the defendant, who brokered the
\nbusiness deal, be jailed for seven years and fined Rp 200 million
\n(US$20,000).<\/p>\n
They also requested the court to order Bram and suspended Aceh
\ngovernor Abdullah Puteh to share the burden of repaying a total
\nof Rp 10.1 billion back to the state. Puteh was found guilty and
\nsentenced to 10 years for the same crime.<\/p>\n
In the trial on Tuesday, the prosecutors rejected as
\n\"groundless\" all defense pleas by Bram and his lawyers.<\/p>\n
\"The lawyers said the signing of a letter of intent (with the
\nAceh administration) was normal and was not against the law;
\nlikewise, for the Rp 750 million as a down payment to buy the
\nhelicopter. But it is not true and is against Presidential Decree
\nNo. 18\/2000 on goods and services procurement,\" prosecutor Wisnu
\nBaroto told the court.<\/p>\n
He said the decree does not recognize the term \"letter of
\nintent\".<\/p>\n
The claim by Bram and his lawyers that the Aceh administration
\nhad still not paid him Rp 1.7 billion of more than Rp 10.1
\nbillion -- the total price of the helicopter, also was not true,
\nWisnu said.<\/p>\n
He added that based on testimonies by witnesses the unpaid
\namount was only Rp 562 million. --Antara<\/p>",
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