Ex-PLN official gets six years

TANGERANG: The Tangerang District Court sentenced on Monday Katiyanto, the general secretary of Tangerang state-owned electricity company PLN, to six years imprisonment for falsifying electricity bills of five companies between 1995 and 2001.

Presiding judge Taryono said the defendant was guilty of document forgery, but exonerated him from any corruption charges.

The crimes had caused PLN to suffer Rp 6.8 billion losses.

Earlier, prosecutor Ferry Silalahi and DJS Simamora charged the defendant with violating Article 1 of Law No. 3/1971 on corruption and Article 263 of the Criminal Code on document forgery, which respectively carry a maximum punishment of life imprisonment and 10 years imprisonment.

But the prosecutor only asked the court to sentence the defendant to six years in prison.

The head of PLN in Tangerang was also believed to have taken a part in the corruption case but he was only made as a witness in Katiyanto's trial.--JP