Bob Hasan freed on parole<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta\/Semarang<\/p>\n
Timber tycoon Mohammad \"Bob\" Hasan was released from the
\nnotorious prison island Nusakambangan in Central Java on Friday
\nafter serving two-thirds of his six-year prison sentence.<\/p>\n
Immediately after his release, Hasan flew to Jakarta on Garuda
\nflight 251 from Semarang, Central Java and arrived at the
\nSoekarno-Hatta International Airport at around 3:51 p.m.<\/p>\n
Only a few colleagues and former employees were there to
\nreceive him at the airport. His wife Pertiwi Hasan and two
\nadopted children are reportedly now living in Australia, their
\nhome since the case against Hasan, a close associate of former
\npresident Soeharto, came to surface.<\/p>\n
The former minister of industry and trade was escorted by
\nseveral bodyguards waiting at the gate of Terminal 3.<\/p>\n
\"Congratulations Pak Bob,\" The Jakarta Post said while
\nshaking his hand as soon as he came out of the gate.<\/p>\n
\"What congratulations? Happy New Year?\" he joked while
\nsmiling.<\/p>\n
He said he was released after serving two-thirds of his
\nsentence and receiving a sentence remission from the government
\n\"for good conduct\".<\/p>\n
Asked whether he would return to business, Hasan said: \"No, I
\nwill not because the business was what led me to prison\".<\/p>\n
\"In the future, I will just be active in preventing the young
\ngeneration from taking drugs and getting involved in brawls.
\nThat's all,\" he said, before getting into a green jeep to head
\nfor his home on Jl. Adityawarman in South Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Clad in dark brown pants and a wine-colored shirt, Hasan was
\ngreeted by, among others, around 30 orphans from Ikrar Qurani
\norphanage.<\/p>\n
\"I am tired but happy (with the release),\" Hasan told
\njournalists at his house.<\/p>\n
Asked if he would visit Soeharto, he said: \"Of course, he is
\nan elderly (wise) man\".<\/p>\n
Several officials of the Indonesian Amateur Athletic
\nAssociation (PASI) who greeted Hasan at his residence said that
\nthey would nominate him as chairman of the organization during
\nits congress on Feb. 25.<\/p>\n
\"We expect him to spend his time with us, leading the
\norganization again,\" PASI public relations officer Chaidir said.<\/p>\n
Hasan, a former chairman of the Indonesian Forest
\nConcessionaires Association, was sentenced to two years in prison
\nby the Central Jakarta District Court after he was found guilty
\nof misusing US$75 million in funds belonging to the Ministry of
\nForestry. He was also ordered to pay a Rp 15 million fine and
\nreturn Rp 14.1 billion to the state.<\/p>\n
He appealed the verdict with the Jakarta High Court, and as a
\nresult was sentenced to six years in prison and had to pay
\ncompensation of some US$243.7 million. The sentence was upheld by
\nthe Supreme Court.<\/p>\n
Late in March 2001, the late Baharuddin Lopa, who at the time
\nwas former minister of justice and human rights, sent him to
\nNusakambangan penitentiary \"to deter other corruptors\".<\/p>\n
According to Riyono, a security guard at Nusakambangan, Hasan
\ndeserved the release as he had served two-thirds of his term and,
\nindeed, \"our record showed his good behavior while in prison\".<\/p>\n
\"He was supposed to complete his prison term in 2005, but he
\nwas given several remissions that the government grants to
\ninmates every Idul Fitri and Independence Day on Aug. 17,\" Riyono
\ntold the Post.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/bob-hasan-freed-on-parole-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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