Councillor fined for fake diploma

TANGERANG: The Tangerang District Court on Friday fined councillor Fonaha Mendrofa, 47, of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Rp 4 million (US$470) for submitting a fake school diploma to meet the requirements to become a legislative candidate.

Presiding judge Poltak Sitorus said that Mendrofa, a current member of the Tangerang Legislative Council, was found guilty of submitting the fake diploma to the Tangerang General Election Commission on Jan. 27.

"If the convict cannot afford to pay the fine, he must serve three months in jail," the judge remarked while reading his verdict.

The verdict was equal to the prosecution's demand.

Prosecutor Eben Silalahi said the case was based on information provided by Mendrofa's party colleagues, saying that he was not a graduate of the school of economics from Krisna Dwipayana University in East Jakarta as stated in the fake diploma.

The university confirmed that Mendrofa had never even been registered as a student, let alone graduate.

The defendant was charged under article 137 of Law No. 12/2003 on general elections. The article carries a maximum punishment of 18 months in prison and a Rp 6 million fine. -- JP