|
23 Kendari councillors get 18 months in prison each for graft |
|
|
|
|
Rabu, 12 Oktober 2005 |
|
The Kendari District Court sentenced 23 members of Kendari Legislative Council to 18 months in prison each for their involvement of corruption case which caused the state to suffer Rp 5.9 billion (US$590,000) in losses.
In the verdict Judge Kartim said that the 23 councillors were guilty violating Law No. 31/1999 on corruption in which they were involved in the misuse of part of the 2003 budget for regional administration.
In the 80-page verdict, the judge accused the defendants, who were mostly not reelected for the current term, of enriching themselves both collectively and individually at the expense ofthe state's coffers.
Their corruption activities were conducted by marking up the use of the budget funds and other funds allocations, the verdict said.
Their corrupt actions were detected by the creation of fictitious house rents for councillors, fictitious meal allowances, marked-up general health check-ups, and education and training payments as well as fictitious official travel, according to the verdict.
All 23 councillors, for example, received Rp 180 million in religious festivity allowances in 2003, with each of them receiving Rp 3 million and deputy speaker of the council Rp 4 million, the verdict said.
Moreover, each councillor got Rp 9 million in drinking water allowances, with an electricity allowance of Rp 2 million in 2004 ... all of these allowances were not officially mentioned in the budget report, the verdict said.
Besides jailing them, each of the councillors was also ordered to pay a fine of Rp 50 million.
Abdul Rahman, a lawyer for the defendants, said that the defendants would appeal. After a brief discussion, the panel of judges allowed them to do so. (yos/**)
Source: The Jakarta Post, October 12, 2005 |
