Prosecution seeks three years for KPU's Mulyana
Prosecution seeks three years for KPU's Mulyana
Ridwan Max Sijabat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Prosecutors requested a three-year prison sentence for Mulyana
Wira Kusumah for his involvement in the high-profile corruption
case at the General Elections Commission (KPU).
Reading the prosecution's conclusion during a court hearing
presided over by Masrudin Chaniago on Monday, three prosecutors
of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Catharina M.
Girsang, Muhibudin and Ryono argued that the KPU member "should
be found guilty of bribing a state auditor, as it was proven by
the evidence from testimony given by other KPU members and
officials."
"The defendant is guilty of violating Chapter 5 of Law No.
31/1999 and Law No. 20/2001 on corruption," said prosecutor
Catharina.
She added that Mulyana should also pay a fine of Rp 50 million
(US$5,263) to the state.
Mulyana, himself a noted criminologist from the University of
Indonesia, is charged with bribery after being caught red-handed
attempting to give Rp 300 million (about US$32,000) to Supreme
Audit Agency (BPK) auditor Khairiansyah Salman so the latter
would overlook financial irregularities within the KPU, which
organized last year's legislative and presidential elections.
The bribery case has opened the way for the KPK to investigate
alleged corruption at the election body, which centers around the
marking up of election materials and the collection of kickbacks
by the KPU from private firms that secured procurement contracts
with the elections commission.
Mulyana and several of his other colleagues at KPU, including
secretary-general Sussongko Suhardjo, treasurer Hamdani Amin and
chairman Nazaruddin Syamsuddin, have been named suspects in the
graft case.
Prosecutor Muhibudin said that during a previous court
hearing, Sussongko testified that he and the defendant knew that
the BPK had found something wrong with the KPU's financial
reports, so Mulyana was to approach Khairiansyah "to revise" the
result of the BPK audit.
He added that it was regrettable for Mulyana to be involved in
bribery, particularly as a criminologist, who would be fully
aware that bribing a state official was against the law.
"What is worse, he has committed the wrongdoing at a time when
the nation is seriously promoting a struggle against corruption
and it has tarnished the election body's image," he said.
Responding to the prosecution, Mulyana said he would prepare
his rebuttal of the prosecution's arguments.
"I will make my own legal defense to counter several arguments
used by the prosecutors to support their case," he said.
The hearing was adjourned until next Monday.