Government concurs with stiffer sentence for Tansil

JAKARTA (JP): The government and a politician yesterday welcomed the Jakarta High Court's decision to raise the jail term handed to businessman Eddy Tansil, saying that it bodes well for the anti-corruption drive.

News that Tansil's sentence has been raised from 17 to 20 years was greeted with relief from the Attorney General's office which prosecuted the case and brought to justice a number of other suspects involved in the Rp 1.3 trillion ($620 million) scam at the government-owned Bank Pembangunan Indonesia (Bapindo).

"The heavier verdict serves as a warning for other corruptors," Chairul Imam, acting spokesman for the Attorney General's Office was quoted by the Republika daily as saying.

Soesanto Bangoennagoro, a legislator of the ruling Golkar faction at the House of Representatives, said the court's ruling reflects a mature and prudent decision.

"I happily welcome the ruling because it will strengthen the public image of the legal system and reflects the current drive to establish a clean government," he said.

The swift decision should also serve as a lesson for others to think twice before they appeal their case to the high court, he added.

The Jakarta High Court upheld the guilty verdict against Tansil passed by the Central Jakarta District Court in August.

He was convicted on corruption charges for skimming Bapindo funds through illegal means with insiders' help.

The High Court raised the jail term and also reaffirmed the district court's order that Tansil pay the government Rp 500 billion ($227 million) in restitution. It also reaffirmed the lower court's decision to appropriate much of Tansil's wealth, including houses, land, factories, offices, cars and bank deposits.

Tansil's lawyers yesterday said that they have not decided on what course to take following the high court verdict.

"We'll have to analyze the high court's legal opinion before we can make our decision," Humphrey R. Djemat, one of Tansil's defense counsels, told The Jakarta Post yesterday.

Humphrey added that the lawyers have not received the full copy of the High Court's decision.

He said however that the lawyers would probably appeal to the Supreme Court.

Soetrisno, the chief of the Central Jakarta District Court who presided over Tansil's trial, said the high court's legal opinion was similar, verbatim, to the one declared by the district court. "The Jakarta High Court entirely copied the district court's legal opinion," he said.

Three former Bapindo executives have also been sentenced for their role in the scam and two others are still on trial.

Tansil's 17-year jail term given by the lower court was the stiffest. (imn)