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.