Yogya lawmakers to stand trial over graft charges
The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta/Padang/Mataram
Three Yogyakarta councillors will go on trial for allegedly misusing Rp 1.4 billion (US$148,936) of public money meant for councillors' life insurance schemes, while six reelected others already convicted of graft have been installed in Padang.
The Yogyakarta Prosecutor's Office handed over the dossiers of three councillors implicated in the case to the Yogyakarta District Court on Saturday.
The accused are Umar from the National Awakening Party (PKB), Nurudin Haniem from the National Mandate Party (PAN) and Herman Abdurrahman from the United Development Party (PPP).
They were charged with embezzling state money and could face prosecution at least four years in jail and a maximum life sentence.
Yogyakarta Municipal Prosecutor's Office head Achmadi said evidence against three other suspects would be completed and filed to the court in the near future.
The other three suspects are Totok Daryanto from PAN, who was reelected as legislator at the House of Representatives (DPR), Nur Achmad Affandi, who was reelected as councillor at Yogyakarta provincial council and Marhaban Fakih, a councillor from the Indonesian military (TNI) and police faction, whose 1999-2004 term has just ended.
Achmadi said the trial showed the office was serious about combating corruption in the province.
The insurance scandal broke two years ago, after mounting protests from students and non-governmental organization (NGO) activists about the alleged misuse of an insurance fund meant for the 45 members of the provincial council. Instead of using the Rp 1.4 billion to buy insurance policies, many councillors spent it on themselves and on their families. Observers suspected politics was been the main reason behind the sluggish investigation into the councillors.
Herman, one of the six suspects, condemned the move to bring him to trial by the prosecutor's office, saying it was unfair.
While, all 45 councillors were involved in the misuse of the insurance money, only six had been named suspects, Herman said.
Meanwhile, the Yogyakarta Municipal Prosecutor's Office also provided evidence against councillor Ary Dewanto to the court.
Ary, a councillor with the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), has been charged with embezzling Rp 167 million of state money in a separate graft case.
Separately in the West Sumatra capital of Padang, six out of 43 former councillors in West Sumatra provincial council were inaugurated on Saturday for another term after they were reelected in April 5 election.
The inauguration ignored the fact the six councillors had been convicted in a Rp 6.4 billion graft scandal earlier this year.
The councillors are free pending an appeal filed at the West Sumatra High Court. The inauguration of the six councillors was still lawful, pending the final decision by either the West Sumatra High Court or the Supreme Court, said Muftie Syarfie, the chairman of West Sumatra General Election Commission (KPU).
Meanwhile in the West Nusa Tenggara capital of Mataram, Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno promised local prosecutors the ministry would not complicate the process of granting permits for local prosecutors to summon local councillors for questioning in connection with corruption cases.