Akbar gets three years for graft

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Notorious for their corrupt ways, the country's judiciary sprang another surprise on Wednesday when they sentenced House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tandjung to three years in prison for corruption.

But the judges seemed to be primarily concerned with restoring their tarnished image, as they did when they handed down a 15- year prison sentence to Hutomo "Tommy" Mandala Putra for murder on July 26.

Akbar's sentence was far below the maximum penalty of 20 years imprisonment, despite the judges' conclusion that the Golkar chairman was "found guilty in a convincing way of not only causing losses to the state but suffering to the poor." Prosecutors had demanded four years.

Many observers have expressed doubts that Akbar's trial reflects true law enforcement as political deals marked the legal process against the leader of an esteemed institution. The trial failed to uncover what the embezzled fund of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) were used for, despite earlier reports that it had gone into Golkar's coffers.

Co-defendants in the graft case, Dadang Sukandar and Winfried Simatupang, got 18 months each.

The verdict has no immediate impact on Akbar as he remains free since he appealed the verdict and will continue to lead the House.

"I don't feel I am guilty and I will continue my daily duties as the House speaker and Golkar party chairman. There are a lot of state duties I have to focus on, including the deliberation of political bills," Akbar said after the hearing at the Meteorology and Geophysics Office in Central Jakarta.

However, some politicians in the House, including those from President Megawati Soekarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, expressed their wish to see Akbar suspended following the verdict.

The sentence also looks set to revive demands within Golkar for Akbar to be replaced as chairman, which had already been attempted following Golkar's failure to help B.J. Habibie win the presidential campaign in 1999. Akbar's status is regarded by his rivals as Golkar's liability ahead of the 2004 general elections.

The court said Akbar was convicted of misusing Rp 40 billion (US$4.44 million) in Bulog funds that were supposed to be earmarked for a poverty alleviation program, when he was minister/state secretary in 1999 under president Habibie.

The court said Akbar, digressing from proper procedure, assigned the Raudlatul Jannah Islamic Foundation chaired by Dadang to manage the project, who then appointed Winfried as the contractor for the food distribution program -- a program that never materialized.

The court also said a certain amount of the fund was proven to have been allocated to buy foreign currency.

"Akbar must have realized his actions helped the two others to enrich themselves, thus causing losses to the state," presiding judge Amiruddin Zakaria said.

Amiruddin said the fact that Winfried had returned the money to the state did not absolve the defendant of his corrupt action.

Akbar tried to maintain his composure when the verdict was announced but his wife and family wept.

Akbar's lawyers said they would file an appeal with the Jakarta High Court, while Dadang and Winfried's lawyers said they would take a week to decide whether or not to appeal.

The trial, which began at 10 a.m. and ended at 7 p.m., was seen as one of the longest trials held in the country.

It was a crucial event for the country's judicial system, prone to corrupt practices inherited from the 32-year New Order regime of Soeharto.

The country's courts have continued to issue various controversial judgments.

The Jakarta High Court recently overturned a district court verdict, which found Bank Indonesia Governor Sjahril Syabirin guilty of corruption. It even acquitted Sjahril of all charges.

Some 220 police officers were deployed to guard the trial as hundreds of Akbar's staunch supporters had promised to storm the court.

They disturbed the court at the beginning of the trial, as some of them escorted Akbar into the courtroom chanting Allahu Akbar (God is Mighty).

They quietened after Amiruddin warned them that any actions to disrupt the trial were a crime.

At midday, hundreds of students from various universities in Jakarta arrived at the court, urging the judges to uphold the law, not to bow to political pressure and to punish Akbar for corruption.

But the students failed to enter the courtroom as members of Golkar's youth wing blocked their way. A small clash occurred as a result, leaving several students injured.

The students later dispersed peacefully.