Three council leaders stand trial for graft<\/p>\n
Jongker Rumthe, The Jakarta Post, Manado<\/p>\n
Three newly reelected North Sulawesi councillors stood trial at
\nthe Manado District Court here on Monday on charges of misusing
\nsome Rp 9.6 billion (US$1.06 million) from Manado's 2003 budget.<\/p>\n
Day one of the trial saw the defendants; former Manado
\nmunicipal legislative councillor speaker JE Tampi from the Golkar
\nParty and his two deputies -- Jafar Alkatiri from the United
\nDevelopment Party (PPP) and Jermia Damongilala from the
\nIndonesian Democratic Party of Struggle -- face a packed
\ncourtroom to hear the prosecutor's opening arguments.<\/p>\n
Tampi was recently elected as the North Sulawesi provincial
\ncouncil speaker and Jermia reelected as a deputy Manado council
\nspeaker, while Jafar was named as the chairman of a joint faction
\non the municipal legislature.<\/p>\n
Another former deputy speaker of the Manado council, Diyen DB
\nWulur, from the military and police faction, will soon be tried
\nseparately for the same case.<\/p>\n
Former budget committee members in the council could also be
\nimplicated in the case, prosecutor Zemy Leihitu said.<\/p>\n
He told the court, which sat at about 11 a.m., that Tampi,
\nJafar and Jermia were guilty of marking up the 2003 budget for
\nthe Manado council's expenses, which caused some Rp 9.6 billion
\nin state losses.<\/p>\n
The defendants were responsible for fund allocations not
\ncovered in Government Regulation No. 110\/2000, the reference for
\ndrafting the council expenses budget, Zemy said.<\/p>\n
He said the irregularities included allotting Rp 4.5 billion
\nfor the council's operational funds, Rp 30 million for
\ndisseminating propaganda and information as well as
\ndocumentation, Rp 250 million for councillors' welfare, Rp 545
\nmillion to support activities of councillors and Rp 4.8 billion
\nfor their mobilization funds.<\/p>\n
\"The Manado council leaders initially said the Rp 4.8 billion
\nmobilization fund was to purchase four official cars, but the
\nmoney was distributed to all 40 council members, with each
\nreceiving Rp 120 million.<\/p>\n
\"The remaining Rp 5 billion funds were pocketed by the four
\ncouncil leaders,\" Zumy told the courtroom full of hundreds of
\nvisitors.<\/p>\n
The prosecutor said the councillors violated Article 2 (1) of
\nLaw No. 31\/1999 on corruption eradication and Article 55 (1) of
\nthe Criminal Code on graft.<\/p>\n
\"The former council leaders are threatened with a maximum life
\nsentence or minimum penalty of four years in jail and fine of Rp
\n200 million each,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Zemy said he had been the victim of intimidation and threats
\nfrom supporters of the defendants who were pressuring him to
\nabandon the trial.<\/p>\n
Corruption is widespread in regional councils across the
\ncountry, with many legislators convicted, standing trial or under
\ninvestigation by prosecutors and police.<\/p>",
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