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)