Padang court frees graft defendants
Padang court frees graft defendants
Syofiardi Bachyul Jb, The Jakarta Post/Padang
The Padang district court exonerated on Saturday four defendants
accused of involvement in a high-profile Rp 7.6 billion
(US$808,510) graft case in Mentawai Islands regency.
The four are: regental administration secretary Ridwan
Siritubui, administration treasurer Rika Hasnita, chief of
finances at the administration D. Lubis and former treasurer
Ardi.
Presiding judge Bustami Nusyirwan said in his verdict that
prosecutors had failed to explain what the defendants had gained
from the money.
"The prosecutors should have explained how the defendants
misappropriated the money -- how they spent it, but they failed
to do so," said the presiding judge.
The four defendants had initially been brought to court on
charges that they had embezzled Rp 16 billion of the regency's
2002 budget of Rp 47.5 billion.
Further investigation had revealed that the defendants "lent"
Rp 8.4 billion of the Rp 16 billion to local councillors, the
Mentawai Islands regent, deputy regent and other high-ranking
officials of the regental administration, according to judge
Bustami.
The judge said that all of the funds had been returned to the
state by the high-ranking officials.
But, the defendants had failed to provide details of the
expenditure of the remaining Rp 7.6 billion, according to the
judge.
He said, however, that it was unclear whether the defendants
were guilty as the prosecutors had failed to provide sufficient
evidence.
The defendants could not be called guilty as they had loaned
Rp 8.4 billion of the money and spent the remaining Rp 7.6
billion with the consent of the Mentawai Islands administration,
the judge reasoned.
Earlier, prosecutors had demanded that the district court
sentence the defendants to five years in jail each.
Responding to the verdict, deputy chief of West Sumatra
Prosecutor's Office J. Soehandoyo said that the game was not over
yet. He said that prosecutors would file an appeal with the
Supreme Court.