Councillor to appeal corruption conviction

RANTAU, South Kalimantan: The speaker of the Tapin regency legislative council in South Kalimantan will appeal his corruption conviction, his lawyer said on Thursday.

Sirajjudin was sentenced to six years in jail by the Rantau District Court after being found guilty of misusing about Rp 3 billion (US$352,941) from the regency's 2001-2002 budget.

Marudut Tampubolon, Sirajjudin's lawyer, said the court verdict ignored evidence and testimony by several witnesses.

"A statement by former Tapin regent Noor Ajie and receipts showing how the operational budget was spent, for instance, were not considered by the panel of judges," Marudut said.

He said there was no evidence that all of the expenditures allocated for Sirajjudin were misused for his own benefit, unlike other councillors who had bought houses, cars and other personal belongings. --Antara