Ex-KPU officials stand trial

JAKARTA: Two former General Elections Commission (KPU) personnel went on trial on Monday in a Rp 20 billion (nearly US$2 million) graft case.

Chief prosecutor Endro Wasistomo told the Anticorruption Court that former KPU secretary-general Safder Yusacc and former head of general affairs Bambang Budiarto had marked up the state expenditure for the publication of books related to the 2004 general election.

The two defendants have been charged under the 1999 Anticorruption Law that carries a minimum sentence of four years in jail and a maximum of life.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) brought them to prosecution, as it has a number of KPU members and officials, including chairman Nazaruddin Syamsuddin, members Mulyana W. Kusumah and Rusadi Kantaprawira, acting secretary-general Sussongko Suhardjo and treasurer Hamdani Amin. -- JP