Aceh official sent to jail for corruption<\/p>\n
Nani Afrida and Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Banda Aceh\/Kupang<\/p>\n
A district court in Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam sentenced former
\nBanda Aceh mayor Zulkarnain on Tuesday to five years imprisonment
\nfor corruption, while an acting deputy legislative council
\nspeaker in East Nusa Tenggara was detained in a fraud case.<\/p>\n
Zulkarnain became the first government official convicted of
\ngraft in the troubled province of Aceh.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors sought 10 years for the former mayor.<\/p>\n
Judges said Zulkarnain was proven \"guilty beyond all
\nreasonable doubt\" of embezzling Rp 3.5 billion (US$388,888) when
\nhe served as mayor in 2002.<\/p>\n
The Banda Aceh District Court also ordered the defendant to
\nreturned the corrupted money, which should have been distributed
\nto improve the economic condition of the people, and fined him Rp
\n200 million.<\/p>\n
\"If the defendant cannot pay the fine or return the corrupted
\nmoney, he will have to serve an additional term of one year and
\nfour months,\" presiding judge Syafaruddin Nasution said.<\/p>\n
However, the court ordered the return of Zulkarnain's assets
\nthat had been confiscated by prosecutors.<\/p>\n
The judges argued that the assets belonged to the convict's
\nwife and that the prosecutors failed to prove they were bought
\nusing the ill-gotten money.<\/p>\n
Syafaruddin said the verdict was handed down after the court
\nheard testimonies of 13 witnesses and examined sufficient
\nevidence against Zulkarnain.<\/p>\n
The judges said the former mayor was found guilty of breaching
\nArticle 55 (1) of the Criminal Code and Law No. 31\/1999 on
\ncorruption eradication.<\/p>\n
\"What makes his sentence heavier is that the defendant has
\ndisadvantaged the state and let down people he should have
\nassisted,\" Syafaruddin said.<\/p>\n
Zulkarnain's lawyers said their client was considering whether
\nto appeal or not, while the prosecutors said they would appeal.<\/p>\n
\"The court decision was abnormal and we will file an appeal
\nthis week,\" prosecutor Muhammad Adnan told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
The light sentence for the former mayor, which had been
\npostponed for two days due to technical problems, sparked
\naccusations that the judges received a bribe from the defendant.<\/p>\n
Zulkarnain has been detained since Jan. 15, 2004. He once
\nevaded the graft charges and later surrendered himself to the
\nprosecutors.<\/p>\n
The court has sentenced another suspect in the same case, T
\nSurya, to two years in prison, while his accomplice, Tarmizi R.,
\nwas acquitted of all charges.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, police officially detained senior Kupang
\nLegislative Council member Dominggus Bolla on Tuesday for the
\nalleged theft of Rp 95 million from the city administration.<\/p>\n
However, he was only charged with forging the signature of
\nformer council speaker Mell Yakob in order to disburse the money.
\nHe could face a six-year prison term if proven guilty.<\/p>\n
Bolla, a retired military officer, served as deputy speaker of
\nthe Kupang council for the 1999-2004 period at the time of the
\nalleged crime. He was reelected as a local councillor through the
\nApril 5 legislative election, representing the Golkar Party.<\/p>\n
Kupang Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Agus Nugroho said Bolla was
\nheld to facilitate the investigation. \"The suspect has confessed
\nto all his wrongdoings, so we detained him.\"<\/p>\n
The case surfaced after Mell Yakob, who died earlier this
\nmonth, questioned an amount of Rp 95 million that had been
\ndisbursed by the Kupan administration for his medical treatment,
\nwhen in fact he never received the money.<\/p>\n
\"Pak Yakob was sick for almost one year. As the city council
\nspeaker, his medical care was financed by the council. But the
\nmoney was taken by his deputy Bolla by forging his (Yacob's)
\nsignature (to disburse the money),\" said Adi Yakob, a family
\nmember of the former council speaker.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/aceh-official-sent-to-jail-for-corruption-1447893297",
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