Court rejects graft appeal

Court rejects graft appeal

INDONESIA: A West Sumatra court not only rejected on Friday
the appeal filed by 43 West Sumatra councillors convicted of
graft, but increased their jail sentences.

The court increased the jail sentence of three council leaders
from two years and three months to five years. It sentenced the
other 40 council members to four years in jail each, twice as
long as the two years given them by the Padang District Court.

The councillors were convicted of embezzling some Rp 5.9
billion (US$655,555) from the 2002 West Sumatra provincial
budget. -- JP