Corruption-Lampung-governor<\/p>\n
Oyos Saroso HN, The Jakarta Post, Bandarlampung, Lampung<\/p>\n
A district court in Bandarlampung began on Wednesday a much-
\nawaited court trial involving defendant Alzier Dianis Thabrani,
\nthe governor-elect of Lampung province.<\/p>\n
He was indicted for diploma abuse and fraud that he allegedly
\ncommitted two years ago.<\/p>\n
The trial session, which was marred by rowdy protests from
\nAlzier's supporters outside the courtroom, began at 9:40 a.m.<\/p>\n
Ignoring the rowdy protest, prosecutor RO Siahaan began
\nreading his indictment and accused the governor-elect of
\nviolating Article 378 of the Criminal Code and Article 19 of Law
\nNo. 2\/1989 on the System of National Education.<\/p>\n
Both articles, which rule on the fraud and the abuse of school
\ndiplomas respectively, carry maximum sentences of four years for
\nfraud and 18 months for the abuse of a school diploma.<\/p>\n
Besides listening to the prosecutor's indictment, presiding
\njudge Gani Parlaungan also heard testimonies from four witnesses
\nat the trial session including Dedi Hidayat, the former head of
\nstate-owned fertilizer company PT Pupuk Sriwijaya's (PT Pusri)
\nLampung branch, and Murni, a staffer with CV Wisata, a fertilizer
\ndistributor company owned by defendant Alzier.<\/p>\n
Both judge and prosecutor directed their questions to
\nwitnesses on the purchase of 500 tons of fertilizer worth Rp 500
\nmillion (US$62,500) by CV Wisata, one of the distributors of PT
\nPusri. The witnesses said that CV Wisata bought the fertilizer
\nfrom PT Pusri's Lampung branch in 2001, barely a year before
\nAlzier was elected Lampung governor.<\/p>\n
CV Wisata continued with other purchases, accumulating total
\ndebts of Rp 11 billion (US$1,375,000), said the witnesses. They
\nadmitted that Alzier did repay by installment, although he had
\nyet been unable to clear the debts totally.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the witnesses also confirmed in the trial session
\nthat the defendant often used bogus academic titles in the
\ndocuments for fertilizer transactions, although in fact, he had
\nnot obtained titles from any educational institution.<\/p>\n
These included Drs (a qualification for a social science
\ngraduate), SE (economics graduate) and Master of Business
\nAdministration (MBA) from the Open University. Alzier also used
\nthe titles on his registration forms when he ran in the Lampung
\ngubernatorial election in November last year. \"The indictment was
\nnot true,\" Alzier told the court.<\/p>\n
The session, which lasted three hours, was adjourned until
\nOct. 29.<\/p>\n
The court session, which is overshadowed by a political
\nintrigue, dates back to the election of Lampung governor last
\nyear. At that time, Alzier, along with running mate Ansory Yunus,
\nparticipated in the Lampung gubernatorial election, although they
\nwere warned previously by the executive board of the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) not to do so.
\nAlzier is the former chairman of PDI Perjuangan's South Lampung
\nbranch.<\/p>\n
They won the election in December last year despite opposition
\nby the central board of PDI Perjuangan, but at huge political
\ncost. Alzier, Ansory and dozens of other South Lampung members of
\nPDI Perjuangan were dismissed from the party for disobedience.<\/p>\n
Ten months have passed since he was elected, but he has yet to
\nbe inaugurated as Lampung governor. President Megawati, who is
\nalso the chairwoman of PDI Perjuangan, has refused to inaugurate
\nhim as governor on the grounds that he was the subject of a
\ncriminal prosecution.<\/p>\n
The backlash did not stop there; Alzier was taken to court
\nlater on for school diploma abuse and fraud concerning fertilizer
\ntransactions. Alzier is now under city arrest by order of the
\nTanjungkarang court.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/corruption-lampung-governor-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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