Former mayor gets one year in jail

BANDARLAMPUNG, Lampung: The Supreme Court rejected the appeal of former mayor of Bandarlampung Nurdin Muhayat, 62, sentencing him to one year in prison for his role in a Rp 1.7 billion (US$180,851) corruption case.

Wisnu Subroto, chief of the Lampung Prosecutor's Office, said he had received a copy of the verdict on Wednesday. Later on Thursday, officials of the prosecutor's office attempted to apprehend the former mayor, who served Bandarlampung between 1989 and 1994, but he was not at home.

Nurdin was taken to court for embezzlement during his term. He was sentenced to one year in prison by the Tanjungkarang District Court in 1997. He appealed, but the Lampung High Court increased his sentence to seven years in prison. He again appealed to the Supreme Court, which later upheld the district court's verdict. -- JP