The panel of judges at the Corruption Crime Court (Tipikor) of the\nPekanbaru District Court has sentenced suspended Riau Governor Abdul\nWahid to two years in prison in a hearing held on Thursday (30\/7).<\/p>\n
Presiding Judge Delta Tamtama, in the verdict, stated that the\ndefendant had been legally and convincingly proven to have committed\ncorruption. In addition to the prison sentence, Abdul Wahid was fined\nRp200 million. Should the fine go unpaid, it will be replaced by 80\ndays\u2019 imprisonment.<\/p>\n
The judge also ordered the defendant to pay Rp1.4 billion in\ncompensation for state losses. \u201cIf the compensation is not paid, his\nassets will be seized and auctioned, or replaced with a prison sentence\nof one and a half years,\u201d Judge Delta said.<\/p>\n
The verdict is considerably lighter than the demand made by the\npublic prosecutors of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).\nPreviously, the prosecutors had sought a sentence of eight years and six\nmonths\u2019 imprisonment, a fine of Rp500 million and compensation of Rp1.45\nbillion.<\/p>\n
In its considerations, the panel of judges was convinced that abuse\nof power and receipt of gratuities occurred whilst Abdul Wahid served as\nGovernor of Riau. The trial revealed that the practice began with a\nmeeting between the defendant, the head of the Riau Public Works,\nSpatial Planning, Housing and Settlements Agency (PUPR-PKPP), M Arief\nSetiawan, and the heads of the Road and Bridge Technical Implementation\nUnits (UPT).<\/p>\n
The judges highlighted the defendant\u2019s instructions at a 2025\nmeeting, in which he used the phrase \u201cthere is only one sun and one\ncommand\u201d. The defendant was also said to have threatened job evaluations\nfor those who did not comply with the directive.<\/p>\n
Following that instruction, the secretary of the Riau PUPR-PKPP\nAgency, Ferry Yunanda, was directed to collect money from the UPT heads.\nThe total collected reached Rp3.05 billion, of which Rp2.4 billion\nflowed to Abdul Wahid through his confidants, Dani M Nursalam and\nMarjani.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe panel of judges is of the opinion that the element of\ngratification has been fulfilled, because the money was received in full\nby the defendant through his confidants,\u201d the judge declared.<\/p>\n
In response to the verdict, Abdul Wahid\u2019s legal advisers said they\nwould file an appeal. Meanwhile, the KPK prosecutors said they were\nstill considering their next legal steps.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/non-active-riau-governor-abdul-wahid-sentenced-to-2-years-in-prison-1785405066", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }