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.