Councillor gets jail term for bribery
Sri Wahyuni, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta
The district court here sentenced on Monday a councillor to two years in prison for his key role in a Rp 150 million (US$16,850) bribery case.
The conviction of Herman Abdurrachman, who was also fined Rp 10 million, adds weight to public allegations of corruption within the legislative body, as well as in the bureaucracy and judiciary.
However, the sentence was lenient considering the panel of judges found him guilty of violating Article 12 (e) of Law No. 20/2001 on corruption, which carries a minimum prison sentence of four years and a Rp 200 million fine. The judges did not order the prosecutors to immediately execute the verdict.
Reading out the verdict, presiding judge Sahlan Said said the panel of judges halved the sentence because "the state suffered no financial losses due to the case".
"Besides, the defendant returned the bribe even before an investigation was launched by the local prosecutor's office," Sahlan said.
The judges said Herman did accept Rp 7 million, but they said the amount was relatively small.
Herman appealed the verdict.
The case revolved around the provincial government's move to seek legislative approval for Rp 9.5 billion in extra funds needed to complete the construction of the Jogja Expo Center (JEC). The bribe was reportedly paid by the project's contractor, PT Adhi Karya, after the local administration complained about a lack of funds.
Director of the company, Duldjiman, is also a suspect in the case, but the date for his trial has not been set.
Prosecutors investigating the bribery questioned 24 witnesses, including provincial secretary Bambang Susanto Priyohadi and several councillors who received bribes.
Public pressure had mounted for prosecutors to bring Bambang and other councillors to court.
Earlier, Bambang told the court that he had been under pressure to pay the bribe and felt the councillors could disrupt the construction project, which was inaugurated by President Megawati Soekarnoputri in January last year.
The defendant distributed Rp 135 million to 24 other councillors after the JEC inauguration through party faction leaders, who later decided to return the money due to its unclear origin and uneven distribution. Three of the councillors also borrowed Rp 8 million of the money but later returned it.
Herman, who heads the United Development Party (PPP) faction, also faces dismissal from his party.
"We have recommended that the party dismiss him, or at least suspend him," said Wahyudi, the secretary of the PPP provincial chapter here.