Four year term sought for treasurer

JAMBI, Jambi: A prosecutor has recommended that a district court here sentence a government treasurer to four years in prison for alleged graft.

According to prosecutor Suhadi, defendant Rita Purniati was found to have embezzled a fund used to finance a road project in the city that caused losses to the state amounting to Rp 300 million (US$33,333).

The project was part of 13 development projects in the city that were financed by the 2002 city budget. Overall, the projects cost the state Rp 1.5 billion.

According to the prosecutor, Rita, a treasurer with the Public Works Office at Jambi municipal administration, should have disbursed Rp 300 million to a local contractor. But when the local contractor asked for payment in 2003 after the project was completed, Rita refused to pay on the grounds that the fund had run out. The contractor reported the case to the police which led to Rita's trial. -- JP