Home minister staff member jailed for misusing funds
Home minister staff member jailed for misusing funds
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung
The district court in Bandung, West Java, sentenced on Tuesday
a former secretary of the West Java administration and currently
an expert staff member at the Ministry of Home Affairs to 1.5
years in jail for his involvement in the misuse of Rp 16 billion.
The court found administration secretary Ragam Santika guilty
of misusing his power to disburse Rp 16 billion from the
provincial budget to Al-Ihsan foundation during his tenure
between 1994 and 1998.
Ragam was also fined Rp 15 million.
Previously, the court also sentenced the province's Deputy
Governor Ukman Sutaryan to 2.5 years in jail for corruption which
caused Rp 27.9 billion in losses to the state. Ukman is also the
chairman of the Al-Ihsan foundation.
Ragam's sentence was more lenient than what had been demanded
by prosecutor Azizzul Hakim, who asked the court to sentence the
defendant to eight years in prison and fine him Rp 30 million.
"The defendant as a government official who knows exactly the
procedure of using the budget has apparently misused the fund for
the benefit of certain people," said Hazli, the presiding judge.
Ragam said that actually as a secretary he only obeyed what
had been ordered by his superior, namely Deputy Governor Ukman
Sutaryan. But the judge said that his action still violated
Article 1 of Regulation No. 31, 1971 as he collaborated with
other people in the crime.
The judge said that Ragam was also involved in misallocating
Rp 1.065 billion from the budget for certification of Cipondoh
lake in Tangerang, which should not have been financed by the
West Java administration.
According to the judge, he doled out a more lenient sentence
to Ragam because he had served the country for more than 35 years
and had held many important positions, including Sukabumi regent
and now as an expert staff member of home minister Hari Sabarno.
He also said that he behaved well during his trial and
admitted his wrongdoing.
Ragam, however, will not be directly put into jail as he is
ill and the judge is waiting for his medical report.
Unlike Ukman's trial, Ragam's trial was not marked by protests
and was very quiet. Less than 100 visitors attended the trial.
Ragam was only accompanied by one of his sons.
Ragam said he would appeal the verdict to a higher court. "The
judge was very ambiguous. He said that I took no money from the
fund for myself, and the state ended up suffering no losses as
all the money was returned. But still he sentenced me," he said.
His lawyer, Rudy Gunawan, said that his client should be
acquitted from the all of the charges as they were implemented by
Ragam upon Governor Nuriana's approval.
"Pak Ragam always reported to Governor Nuriana what he had
done, but the governor said he had never been informed," said
Rudy.
Yuli Tri Suwarni, The Jakarta Post, Bandung
The district court in Bandung, West Java, sentenced on Tuesday
a former secretary of the West Java administration and currently
an expert staff member at the Ministry of Home Affairs to 1.5
years in jail for his involvement in the misuse of Rp 16 billion.
The court found administration secretary Ragam Santika guilty
of misusing his power to disburse Rp 16 billion from the
provincial budget to Al-Ihsan foundation during his tenure
between 1994 and 1998.
Ragam was also fined Rp 15 million.
Previously, the court also sentenced the province's Deputy
Governor Ukman Sutaryan to 2.5 years in jail for corruption which
caused Rp 27.9 billion in losses to the state. Ukman is also the
chairman of the Al-Ihsan foundation.
Ragam's sentence was more lenient than what had been demanded
by prosecutor Azizzul Hakim, who asked the court to sentence the
defendant to eight years in prison and fine him Rp 30 million.
"The defendant as a government official who knows exactly the
procedure of using the budget has apparently misused the fund for
the benefit of certain people," said Hazli, the presiding judge.
Ragam said that actually as a secretary he only obeyed what
had been ordered by his superior, namely Deputy Governor Ukman
Sutaryan. But the judge said that his action still violated
Article 1 of Regulation No. 31, 1971 as he collaborated with
other people in the crime.
The judge said that Ragam was also involved in misallocating
Rp 1.065 billion from the budget for certification of Cipondoh
lake in Tangerang, which should not have been financed by the
West Java administration.
According to the judge, he doled out a more lenient sentence
to Ragam because he had served the country for more than 35 years
and had held many important positions, including Sukabumi regent
and now as an expert staff member of home minister Hari Sabarno.
He also said that he behaved well during his trial and
admitted his wrongdoing.
Ragam, however, will not be directly put into jail as he is
ill and the judge is waiting for his medical report.
Unlike Ukman's trial, Ragam's trial was not marked by protests
and was very quiet. Less than 100 visitors attended the trial.
Ragam was only accompanied by one of his sons.
Ragam said he would appeal the verdict to a higher court. "The
judge was very ambiguous. He said that I took no money from the
fund for myself, and the state ended up suffering no losses as
all the money was returned. But still he sentenced me," he said.
His lawyer, Rudy Gunawan, said that his client should be
acquitted from the all of the charges as they were implemented by
Ragam upon Governor Nuriana's approval.
"Pak Ragam always reported to Governor Nuriana what he had
done, but the governor said he had never been informed," said
Rudy.