Deputy speakers sentenced to jail

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