Four years sought for councillors

SURAKARTA, Central Java: Prosecutors recommended a four-year prison sentence for 10 Surakarta city councillors serving the 1999-2004 term in a Rp 4.2 billion graft case on Monday.

Prosecutor Ponco Hartanto found them guilty of violating Law No. 31/1999 and the revised Law No. 20/2001 on corruption.

"The thing that should be taken into account is, they feel no remorse, no sense of justice. At the time when many people are living in poverty, they used the country's money," Ponco said.

He said that due to graft, former council speaker Bambang Mudiarto allegedly had an additional income of Rp 266 million a year and deputy council speaker Yusuf Hidayat got an extra Rp 89 million. -- JP