NTB DPRD Commission IV Chairman Hamdan Kasim Acquitted in Graft Case

The panel of judges at the Corruption Court at the Mataram District Court has acquitted West Nusa Tenggara Provincial DPRD Commission IV Chairman Hamdan Kasim in a gratuity case. Presiding Judge Dewi Santini, reading the verdict on Wednesday evening, stated that the defendant Hamdan was not proven to have given money to three other DPRD NTB members as charged by the public prosecutor. ‘The defendant Hamdan Kasim is acquitted of all charges,’ she said. With this verdict, the panel of judges also ordered the restoration of the defendant’s rights. The court further ordered the return of the IDR 450 million in evidence, which had been seized by prosecutors, to the three other legislators: Harwoto, Lalu Irwan Satriadi, and Nurdin Marjuni. The public prosecutor had previously demanded a prison sentence of one year and six months for Hamdan Kasim, along with a fine of IDR 100 million, subsidiary to three months’ imprisonment. The prosecutor had alleged that the defendant’s actions violated Article 605 paragraph (1) letter a in conjunction with Article 127 paragraph (1) of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code, in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Corruption.