Regent gets nine months in jail for bribery

Regent gets nine months in jail for bribery

SEMARANG (JP): A military court here sentenced on Friday
former Bantul regent Army Col. Sri Roso Sudarmo to nine months
imprisonment after finding him guilty of bribing a foundation
chaired by former president Soeharto in 1996 to ensure his
reelection as regent.

Reading out the verdict, presiding judge Col. Yamini said the
defendant had tarnished the reputation of the Indonesian
Military.

"(The bribery) has created the impression that money, rather
than achievement, is the main reason why a person is elected
regent," the judge said.

Sri Roso said he would appeal the decision. The sentence was
one month lighter than military prosecutor Pangruruk had sought.
Sri Roso will maintain his military rank.

Sri Roso asked Soeharto's brother R. Noto Soewito to tell the
then president he would donate Rp 1 billion (US$142,000) to the
Dharmais Foundation if Soeharto approved his reelection as Bantul
regent. He was reelected in 1996 although local legislators
initially rejected his renomination.

In June 1998, one month after Soeharto resigned as president,
Sri Roso was removed from his position. The Bantul legislative
council unanimously agreed to dismiss him after he admitted
offering bribes to ensure his reelection.

The council also urged the attorney general and the police to
reopen their investigation into the murder of Yogyakarta-based
journalist Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin, also know as Udin. Sri Roso
has been implicated in the Aug. 16, 1996, murder of Udin.

The journalist -- known for his critical reporting on the
policies of Sri Roso -- died of wounds resulting from torture.
His murder remains unsolved.

Police initially built a case against advertising agency
employee Dwi Sumaji. After rejecting the case several times, the
public prosecutor's office eventually agreed to file charges
against Dwi.

The case was later thrown out of court after it transpired the
police had insufficient evidence to bring Dwi to trial. The court
turned down the prosecutor's charge that Dwi killed Udin because
the victim had an affair with his wife.

In the recent general election, Dwi was nominated by a minor
party as a legislative candidate for Bantul. The party, however,
garnered few votes in the regency.

Meanwhile, Yogyakarta's Legal Aid Institute urged Pangruruk to
build a case linking Sri Roso to the murder of Udin.

"It is relevant because it was Udin who first uncovered the
Dharmais scandal," institute chairman Budi Hartono said.

Budi also criticized the court's verdict, saying Sri Roso
should have been given a life sentence for bribing a foundation
chaired by the president.

"This corruption case is very easy to prove, and therefore we
had hoped the prosecutor would demand a more severe punishment
for the defendant," Budi said.(har/prb/swa)