Inactive Cilacap Regent Faces Seven-Year Prison Sentence

Semarang (ANTARA) - The inactive Regent of Cilacap, Syamsul Auliya Rachman, faces a seven-year prison sentence in connection with the alleged extortion of heads of regional apparatus organisations (OPD) to fund Eid al-Fitr holiday allowances (THR).

“The defendant is proven guilty of violating Article 12, letter e of Law Number 31 of 1999, as amended by Law Number 20 of 2001 concerning the Eradication of Corruption Crimes,” stated Ahmad Hidayat Nurdin, a Public Prosecutor from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), during a session at the Semarang Corruption Court on Tuesday.

In addition to the prison term, the prosecutor is also demanding that the defendant pay a fine of Rp400 million, which, if unpaid, will be substituted by an additional 120 days of imprisonment.

According to the prosecutor, the defendant, Auliya, ordered the Regional Secretary of Cilacap Regency, Danardono, to prepare a sum of money intended for the holiday allowances of the regional leadership coordination forum (forkopimda) during Eid.

The total amount collected from the heads of the regional agencies reached Rp568 million.

The funds had been placed in gift bags, which were labelled with codes for the specific officials within the regional leadership forum intended to receive them.

The prosecutor detailed that the recipients of these allowances included the Chief of Police, the District Military Commander, the Naval Base Commander, various police unit heads, the Head of the District Attorney’s Office, prosecutors, the Chairperson of the Religious Court, and the Chairperson of the District Court.

Regarding the receipt of money from the heads of the regional agencies, the prosecutor assessed that the defendant had legally received the funds as they were under his control.

“The defendant was aware of and intended the receipt of this money,” he stated during the session presided over by Chief Judge Rosana Irawati.

In their considerations, the prosecution assessed that the defendant’s actions did not support the government’s programme for corruption eradication.

“The defendant was not forthcoming. The defendant was evasive in providing testimony,” the prosecutor added.

In the indictment, the prosecutor also requested that the judge impose an additional penalty involving the revocation of the defendant’s right to be elected to political office for a period of three years.

Following the prosecution’s demands, the panel of judges granted the defendant the opportunity to present his defence in the upcoming session.