Akbar gets three years for graft<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Notorious for their corrupt ways, the country's judiciary
\nsprang another surprise on Wednesday when they sentenced House of
\nRepresentatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung to three years in prison
\nfor corruption.<\/p>\n
But the judges seemed to be primarily concerned with restoring
\ntheir tarnished image, as they did when they handed down a 15-
\nyear prison sentence to Hutomo \"Tommy\" Mandala Putra for murder
\non July 26.<\/p>\n
Akbar's sentence was far below the maximum penalty of 20 years
\nimprisonment, despite the judges' conclusion that the Golkar
\nchairman was \"found guilty in a convincing way of not only
\ncausing losses to the state but suffering to the poor.\"
\nProsecutors had demanded four years.<\/p>\n
Many observers have expressed doubts that Akbar's trial
\nreflects true law enforcement as political deals marked the legal
\nprocess against the leader of an esteemed institution. The trial
\nfailed to uncover what the embezzled fund of the State Logistics
\nAgency (Bulog) were used for, despite earlier reports that it had
\ngone into Golkar's coffers.<\/p>\n
Co-defendants in the graft case, Dadang Sukandar and Winfried
\nSimatupang, got 18 months each.<\/p>\n
The verdict has no immediate impact on Akbar as he remains
\nfree since he appealed the verdict and will continue to lead the
\nHouse.<\/p>\n
\"I don't feel I am guilty and I will continue my daily duties
\nas the House speaker and Golkar party chairman. There are a lot
\nof state duties I have to focus on, including the deliberation of
\npolitical bills,\" Akbar said after the hearing at the Meteorology
\nand Geophysics Office in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
However, some politicians in the House, including those from
\nPresident Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle, expressed their wish to see Akbar suspended following
\nthe verdict.<\/p>\n
The sentence also looks set to revive demands within Golkar
\nfor Akbar to be replaced as chairman, which had already been
\nattempted following Golkar's failure to help B.J. Habibie win the
\npresidential campaign in 1999. Akbar's status is regarded by his
\nrivals as Golkar's liability ahead of the 2004 general elections.<\/p>\n
The court said Akbar was convicted of misusing Rp 40 billion
\n(US$4.44 million) in Bulog funds that were supposed to be
\nearmarked for a poverty alleviation program, when he was
\nminister\/state secretary in 1999 under president Habibie.<\/p>\n
The court said Akbar, digressing from proper procedure,
\nassigned the Raudlatul Jannah Islamic Foundation chaired by
\nDadang to manage the project, who then appointed Winfried as the
\ncontractor for the food distribution program -- a program that
\nnever materialized.<\/p>\n
The court also said a certain amount of the fund was proven to
\nhave been allocated to buy foreign currency.<\/p>\n
\"Akbar must have realized his actions helped the two others to
\nenrich themselves, thus causing losses to the state,\" presiding
\njudge Amiruddin Zakaria said.<\/p>\n
Amiruddin said the fact that Winfried had returned the money
\nto the state did not absolve the defendant of his corrupt action.<\/p>\n
Akbar tried to maintain his composure when the verdict was
\nannounced but his wife and family wept.<\/p>\n
Akbar's lawyers said they would file an appeal with the
\nJakarta High Court, while Dadang and Winfried's lawyers said they
\nwould take a week to decide whether or not to appeal.<\/p>\n
The trial, which began at 10 a.m. and ended at 7 p.m., was
\nseen as one of the longest trials held in the country.<\/p>\n
It was a crucial event for the country's judicial system,
\nprone to corrupt practices inherited from the 32-year New Order
\nregime of Soeharto.<\/p>\n
The country's courts have continued to issue various
\ncontroversial judgments.<\/p>\n
The Jakarta High Court recently overturned a district court
\nverdict, which found Bank Indonesia Governor Sjahril Syabirin
\nguilty of corruption. It even acquitted Sjahril of all charges.<\/p>\n
Some 220 police officers were deployed to guard the trial as
\nhundreds of Akbar's staunch supporters had promised to storm the
\ncourt.<\/p>\n
They disturbed the court at the beginning of the trial, as
\nsome of them escorted Akbar into the courtroom chanting Allahu
\nAkbar (God is Mighty).<\/p>\n
They quietened after Amiruddin warned them that any actions to
\ndisrupt the trial were a crime.<\/p>\n
At midday, hundreds of students from various universities in
\nJakarta arrived at the court, urging the judges to uphold the
\nlaw, not to bow to political pressure and to punish Akbar for
\ncorruption.<\/p>\n
But the students failed to enter the courtroom as members of
\nGolkar's youth wing blocked their way. A small clash occurred as
\na result, leaving several students injured.<\/p>\n
The students later dispersed peacefully.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/akbar-gets-three-years-for-graft-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }