Graft councillors promise to return ill-gotten gains
Graft councillors promise to return ill-gotten gains
Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Semarang
Some 14 former Central Java legislative council members, declared
suspects in a Rp 14.8 billion (US$1.6 million) scam, have
promised to pay back their ill-gotten gains, prosecutors said on
Monday.
Slamet Wahyudi, the special crimes chief assistant at the
Central Prosecutor's Office, said that the commitment was made by
four former council leaders who served during the 1999-2004
period, and who were among the corruption suspects.
"Actually, we wanted to confiscate their assets, but we had to
delay it pending a district court order. The suspects have become
proactive in offering to return the (graft) money," Slamet said.
He made the statement before dozens of students who were
staging a protest at his office in Semarang, demanding that the
corruption probe be immediately concluded, and that all the
suspects be sent to jail.
The four former council leaders in question were Mochammad
Hasbi, Achmad Thoyfoer, Mardijo and Ircham Abdurrachim. Hasbi was
reelected as a local councillor in the April 5 legislative
election, while Thoyfoer secured a seat in the House of
Representatives.
Prosecutors declined to name the other 10 ex-councillors
charged in the case, which caused losses of some Rp 14.8 billion
from Central Java's 2003 budget.
Dozens of other former councillors were being questioned as
witnesses and could also be implicated in the same case. The
provincial legislature comprises 100 members.
Like Thoyfoer, several of them were also reelected as House
members.
Slamet said his office was seeking presidential permission to
summons certain House members for questioning in the case.
Another local prosecutor, Pindo Kartikani, echoed Slamet's
statement, saying the four former chief councillors would return
the money they stole within a week.
"The returned money should amount to Rp 14.8 billion, which
had been distributed amongst all 100 members of the council,"
Pindo added.
A recent investigation by the Yogyakarta office of the Supreme
Audit Body (BKP) showed that the four charged former council
leaders received up to Rp 650 million each, and the remaining 86
members Rp 100 million each.
Slamet said his office would press ahead with prosecuting the
graft suspects, even though they had returned the money.
Prosecutors expect to file the case with the Semarang District
Court on Jan. 20, he added.