JP/4/WALA

JP/4/WALA

Court overrules appeals by corruption suspects

The Jakarta Post Jakarta

Judges at the appellate division of the Anticorruption Court threw out on Friday the appeals of two government officials who were found guilty of embezzling Rp 10.8 billion (US$1.16 million) in state funds.

Led by judge Zaharudin Utama, the court sentenced Harun Letlet to nine years in prison while his colleague Tarsisius Walla was given seven years. Both Harun and Tarsisius were formerly senior officials at the Directorate General for Marine Transportation at the Ministry of Communications.

The sentence was higher for Harun than the eight-year sentence given at the Anticorruption Court at first instance, but Tarsisius' sentence remained the same.

In its ruling, aside from corruption, the court said the additional punishment was based on the Article 3 of Law No. 31/1999 on the abuse of power by government officials.

The two convicts are already in Cipinang penitentiary, East Jakarta.

Their lawyer, Sugeng Teguh Santosa said they were not doing too well in the prison.

"The last time I saw them, they were sick. They're not young anymore, and they are stressed out, plus the situation in prison is not very conducive to good health," Sugeng said as quoted by Antara.

The court said that Harun and Tarsisius were guilty of embezzling the funds allocated for the development of a sea port in Tual, Maluku.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), which brought the case to court, accused Harun and Tarsisius of marking up the cost of a 14.5 hectare plot of land that the ministry purchased to develop the port.

The embezzlement caused state losses of Rp 10.8 billion.

The case is the second ruled on by the Anticorruption Court amid an intensive campaign against graft by the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

Early this week, the court sentenced suspended Aceh governor Abdullah Puteh to 10 years in prison for embezzlement in the 2001 purchase of a Russian-made MI-2 helicopter for the province, which inflicted losses of Rp 3.6 billion ($400,800).