Deputy speakers sentenced to jail

BANDAR LAMPUNG, Lampung: A high court here sentenced on Tuesday two deputy speakers of the Lampung legislative council to over a year in prison each on corruption charges.

Deputy speaker M. Jimo of the Golkar Party and Dancik Ibrahim of the National Mandate Party (PAN) were found guilty of drawing monthly salaries from their previous civil servant posts while at the same time collecting their salaries as councillors.

Presiding judge Darlan Nasution said this was not an example of a bureaucratic mix-up but a plain case of corruption.

The court ordered the two men to pay a fine of Rp 50 million (about US$5,600) each and compensation of Rp 2.21 million.

The sentencing overturned a lower court ruling that the two men be given two years probation, which would have allowed them to avoid jail unless they committed the same crime during their probation period.

Government officials in many other regions have been brought to court on corruption charges. House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tanjung was sentenced to three years in prison last year, but remains free pending an appeal to the Supreme Court. -- Antara