HOPE IT’S A GOOD READ: Golkar politician Anthony Zeidra Abidin (right) passes on a document titled Pledoi (defense plea) to prosecutors during a corruption trial. Anthony and co-defendant Hamka Yandhu (left) read their defense pleas before the court Wednesday and will have to wait until judges hand down a verdict in the next hearing. (JP/J. Adiguna)

Politicians Hamka Yandhu, Anthony Zeidra Abidin and Al Amin Nur Nasution made their final appeals at the Corruption Court on Wednesday in an attempt to avoid jail sentences for serious embezzlement charges.

Reading his defense plea, Anthony admitted to having distributed money to his former colleagues at the House's Commission IX overseeing financial and banking issues, but said the total amount was less Rp 31.5 billion.

"I do not know the exact amount of money or the recipients. If it was really as much as Rp 31.5 billion, then there should be evidence such as receipts or proof of bank transfers," Anthony told the court.

"A witness said I received Rp 7.5 billion on July 23, 2003. The fact is, I was overseas from July 19 to around early August," he said.

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors last week sought jail terms of six and four years' respectively for former lawmakers Anthony and Hamka for their roles in the embezzlement of Bank Indonesia funds.

Prosecutors allege Anthony had actively initiated meetings with Bank Indonesia officials and organized the embezzlement of Rp 31.5 billion of the central bank's money in order to settle Bank Indonesia Liquidity Support (BLBI) cases and push the BI law amendment in the House in 2003.

Upon hearing the sentence request, Anthony said he was just "the victim of a conspiracy". He said judges should consider Hamka the main player considering his vast fortune, despite the fact he only earned Rp 75 million per month.

Hamka deemed himself a "passive actor" in the case, saying he only distributed BI money to other lawmakers.

"I would never have been involved (in any transaction) if not for Anthony. It was not my initiative in the first place," Hamka said. Both of the accused are from the Golkar Party.

Both Anthony and Hamka refused to pay Rp 10.8 billion in state restitution, saying they had only made Rp 500 million from their crimes and had returned the amount to prosecutors.

"All my combined assets are not enough to pay the restitution figure. The penalty will be a burden on my innocent children," Hamka said.

In a separate trial, former United Development Party lawmaker Al Amin admitted to having received money from Bintan regional secretary Azirwan, but maintained that it had nothing to do with the House's approval of a project that converted forests into administrative buildings on Bintan Island in South Sumatra between 2006 and 2008.

"I was only a lawmaker without any structural position at the House of Representatives, I had no influence. The House is a collective body, therefore it would have been impossible for me to have influenced a policy," Al-Amin said.

"Prosecutors said I accepted an amount of money in bribes from businessman Chandra Antonio Tan to accelerate the project, but Chandra himself testified to the court that he had never met me," he said.

Prosecutors have sought a 15 year jail term for Al Amin.

He wept as he told judges his marriage with the famous dangdut singer Kristina had come under increasing pressure during the corruption trial.

"I have been married to my wife for barely two years, and we do have a child yet, but this case has almost brought our marriage to an end."

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