Freddy sentenced to 4 years for graft

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 02/21/2008 12:08 PM | National

Anti-Corruption Court judges on Wednesday sentenced landowner Freddy Santoso to four years in jail and fined him Rp 200 million (US$21,739) for bribing non-active Judicial Commission member Irwady Joenoes in order to facilitate a land acquisition deal.

The panel of judges rejected Freddy's defense statements and set him the exact jail sentence demanded by prosecutors.

"This court is convinced that defendant Freddy Santoso had indeed agreed to give witness Irawady Joenoes Rp 600 million and US$30,000," Chief Judge Edward Pattinasarani told the court.

Irawady is division coordinator at the Judicial Commission (KY) responsible for monitoring judicial behavior and integrity.

The KY, which selects high court judges and acts as a judiciary watchdog, purchased a plot of land on Jl. Kramat Raya in Central Jakarta from Freddy.

Freddy and Irawady were caught by the Corruption Eradication Commission in a house on Jl. Panglima Polim, South Jakarta, last September.

Freddy later testified in court he had been "gently persuaded" by Irawady to provide the money. The transaction took place inside a house belonging to Irawady's brother-in-law.

Irawady testified he had never phoned Freddy and that he was visiting the house during an intelligence mission to "clean up graft suspicions inside the Judicial Commission".

Irawady is currently on trial for allegedly receiving the money from Freddy in the Rp 46 billion deal.

After the sentencing, Freddy's attorney, Otto Hasibuan, told reporters his client would appeal. (anw)

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