Regent faces jail for graft

KENDARI, Southeast Sulawesi: Prosecutors have demanded that Kendari Regent Razak Porosi be sentenced to three years in prison for corruption involving almost Rp 300 million.

Reading out a 90-page indictment, prosecutor Antonius Sudiarto told the Kendari District Court on Wednesday that the defendant must also pay a Rp 30 million fine if found guilty in the ongoing trial.

The regent was guilty of misusing his power by amassing state funds for his and his cronies' personal gain, he alleged.

Razak has been accused of collecting as much as Rp 289.3 million in donations from local businesspeople and others between 1993 and 1998 to fund state ceremonies related to national holidays and social activities in Kendari.

Antonius said the donations were made despite the fact his administration had allocated funds for those events from its budget.

The regent was also blamed for the management of the funds, which the prosecutor said should have been the responsibility of event committees.

During Wednesday's trial presided over by judge M. Hoesni Sulaiman, the defendant, wearing his official uniform, looked calm.

In response to the demands, the regent's lawyers said their client understood the charges and would enter its defense at the next hearing date on March 6. --Antara