Prosecutor seeks three years for antigraft activist Farid

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The prosecution asked an Aceh court on Thursday to sentence antigraft activist Farid Faqih to three years in prison for stealing donations for tsunami victims in Aceh.

"The defendant was found to have stolen the items, hampering the distribution of aid for tsunami victims," said prosecutor Ali Akbar.

The crime carries a maximum sentence of seven years, but the prosecution asked for a much lighter sentence because Farid has never been jailed before and has cooperated during the trial.

The trial was adjourned until next week, at which time the court will hear from the defense.

Farid wore his usual Muslim cap and clothing during the session on Thursday. He was accompanied by two layers, Rufriadi and Iqbal Farabi.

Emerging from the courtroom, Farid told journalists he did not understand the sentencing demand. "I believe the demand has something to do with politics," said Farid as quoted by detik.com.

The case surfaced at the end of January, about a month after a tsunami hit Aceh killing some 129,000 people. Farid, the coordinator of Government Watch, was arrested after allegedly loading donated food, medicine and computer equipment onto a truck at a Banda Aceh airport.

The donations were from the military officers' wives association. A military officer, Capt. Suaib, accosted Farid and accused him of stealing the aid. The officer also physically assaulted the Government Watch coordinator.

Farid was arrested and charged with theft. However, he claims that he was moving the donations to a warehouse outside Banda Aceh to prevent them from being damaged by the rain.

Capt. Suaib is serving a three-month jail sentence for assaulting Farid.