Councillor gets jail term for bribery<\/p>\n
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
The district court here sentenced on Monday a councillor to two
\nyears in prison for his key role in a Rp 150 million (US$16,850)
\nbribery case.<\/p>\n
The conviction of Herman Abdurrachman, who was also fined Rp
\n10 million, adds weight to public allegations of corruption
\nwithin the legislative body, as well as in the bureaucracy and
\njudiciary.<\/p>\n
However, the sentence was lenient considering the panel of
\njudges found him guilty of violating Article 12 (e) of Law No.
\n20\/2001 on corruption, which carries a minimum prison sentence of
\nfour years and a Rp 200 million fine. The judges did not order
\nthe prosecutors to immediately execute the verdict.<\/p>\n
Reading out the verdict, presiding judge Sahlan Said said the
\npanel of judges halved the sentence because \"the state suffered
\nno financial losses due to the case\".<\/p>\n
\"Besides, the defendant returned the bribe even before an
\ninvestigation was launched by the local prosecutor's office,\"
\nSahlan said.<\/p>\n
The judges said Herman did accept Rp 7 million, but they said
\nthe amount was relatively small.<\/p>\n
Herman appealed the verdict.<\/p>\n
The case revolved around the provincial government's move to
\nseek legislative approval for Rp 9.5 billion in extra funds
\nneeded to complete the construction of the Jogja Expo Center
\n(JEC). The bribe was reportedly paid by the project's contractor,
\nPT Adhi Karya, after the local administration complained about a
\nlack of funds.<\/p>\n
Director of the company, Duldjiman, is also a suspect in the
\ncase, but the date for his trial has not been set.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors investigating the bribery questioned 24 witnesses,
\nincluding provincial secretary Bambang Susanto Priyohadi and
\nseveral councillors who received bribes.<\/p>\n
Public pressure had mounted for prosecutors to bring Bambang
\nand other councillors to court.<\/p>\n
Earlier, Bambang told the court that he had been under
\npressure to pay the bribe and felt the councillors could disrupt
\nthe construction project, which was inaugurated by President
\nMegawati Soekarnoputri in January last year.<\/p>\n
The defendant distributed Rp 135 million to 24 other
\ncouncillors after the JEC inauguration through party faction
\nleaders, who later decided to return the money due to its unclear
\norigin and uneven distribution. Three of the councillors also
\nborrowed Rp 8 million of the money but later returned it.<\/p>\n
Herman, who heads the United Development Party (PPP) faction,
\nalso faces dismissal from his party.<\/p>\n
\"We have recommended that the party dismiss him, or at least
\nsuspend him,\" said Wahyudi, the secretary of the PPP provincial
\nchapter here.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/councillor-gets-jail-term-for-bribery-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}