Jail sought for embezzler

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: A prosecutor requested the Makassar District Court on Wednesday to sentence defendant Sub to 30 months in prison for graft.

Prosecutor Kardiana said that Sub, one of the executives of express delivery company PT Andalan Express's Makassar branch was guilty of embezzling company funds amounting to Rp 47 million (US$5,875).

The prosecutor told the court that the defendant often took money from the petty cash box kept by finance officer Emilia Karmelia when she was out of office. The total amount that went missing from the petty cash was Rp 7 million, and the offenses were committed between September 2002 and June 2003.

The finance officer confronted the defendant about the missing money, and the defendant promised that he would repay it.

He also often demanded money from Emilia saying that he needed it for company business. This money amounted a total Rp 40 million.

The defendant was caught after he was questioned about the money by auditors from the company's headquarters in the East Java capital of Surabaya who had been sent to audit the company's Makassar branch office's books.

Before the panel of judges, Sub confessed his crime and asked the court to show leniency. -- Antara