Prosecutors demand 6 years for Irawady in graft trial

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 02/23/2008 4:44 AM  |  National

Prosecutors demanded the Anti-Corruption Court sentence non-active Judicial Commissioner Irawady Joenoes to six years imprisonment and fine him Rp 200 million (US$21,739) for allegedly accepting bribes to facilitate a land acquisition deal with a recently convicted landowner.

"Irawady abused his position as a state official when he cleared a land acquisition deal in exchange for money from the landowner," prosecutor KMS Roni said during his demand Friday.

The same court on Wednesday sentenced landowner Freddy Santoso to four years in prison and fined him Rp 200 million for bribery.

Irawady was arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), along with Freddy, on Sept. 27, 2007, at his brother-in-law's house on Jl. Panglima Polim, South Jakarta.

KPK officials found Rp 600 million in cash inside the house, while Irawady had US$30,000 in his pockets.

Prosecutors said Irawady damaged the Judicial Commission (KY)'s reputation and that his testimony he was acting as an "agent provocateur" belied sense.

"Irawady is not an agent provocateur," said prosecutor Rudi Margono.

According to prosecutors, Irawady's transaction could not be justified by an assignment letter he received from KY chairman Busyro Muqoddas, dated Sept. 12, 2007, because the defendant was proved to have been in correspondence with Freddy since July 2007.

"Even if the defendant thought his actions were justified, he shouldn't have acted alone during his self-provoked mission to become an agent provocateur in this made-up intelligence operation," Rudi said.

"Thus, his reasoning is illogical and irrelevant to this court," he said.

Irawady testified last week his meeting with Freddy was part of an intelligence mission designed to "clean up graft suspicions inside the Judicial Commission".

Irawady was a division coordinator at the KY responsible for monitoring judicial behavior and integrity.

The KY, which selects high court judges and acts as a judicial watchdog, purchased a plot of land for a planned office on Jl. Kramat Raya, Central Jakarta, from Freddy for Rp 46 billion.

The commission purchased the 5,720 square meters for Rp 8.13 million per sqm, slightly below the tax-based price of Rp 8.14 million per sqm.

Prosecutors said Irawady had originally rejected Freddy's land offer during a KY plenary session. However, Irawady changed his mind after allegedly agreeing to receive a payoff from Freddy.

Freddy earlier testified Irawady called him repeatedly to provide the money, but Irawady has consistently denied the allegation.

During the trial session, Irawady asked the panel of judges to give him 10 days to prepare his defense statement.

The trial will resume March 3rd. (anw)

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