Councillors face six years in prison

Sjofiardi Bachyul, The Jakarta Post, Padang

A prosecutor sought on Wednesday in a Padang court a sentence of six years in prison for 27 former Padang councillors charged with corruption. In the court session, prosecutor Derliana Sari explained that the graft case began in 2001 when the 27 councillors urged Padang municipal council budget committee to raise the councillors' salaries and benefits package.

The proposal was agreed upon by the budget committee and a sizable amount of money was then disbursed to the councillors, but it sparked protests when prosecutors found irregularities in the fund disbursement between 2001 and 2002.

According to the prosecutors, they had not only violated Government Decree 110/220 on regional councillors, but there was also a finding that corruption had taken place in the disbursement process. Some of the money was reportedly used to buy airline tickets, so the councillors could visit their home towns. However, when it was checked by the prosecutors and government audit agency, the tickets turned out to be fictitious.

Prosecutor Derliana said that it had cost the state Rp 10.44 billion (US$1.1 million).

The 27 councillors, from the Padang municipal council between 1999 and 2004, were among 40 councillors named suspects in the graft case.

The 13 other councillors are also being prosecuted in a similar case, and the prosecutors have also sought six years for them.