Yogya lawmakers to stand trial over graft charges

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.