Lawmaker gets 4.5 year sentence

Sarjan Tahir, a lawmaker from the Democratic Party, was sentenced Wednesday to 4.5 years in prison for taking a bribe to expedite the issuance of a House of Representatives' permit to convert protected forest into a seaport in South Sumatra.

The Corruption Court found Sarjan guilty of receiving Rp 5 billion (US$445,000) in bribes. He must now also to pay Rp 200 million in fines.

The case began when the South Sumatra administration approached the House through Sarjan in order to speed up approval for the conversion of 600 hectares of a protected mangrove forest in Pantai Air Telang, Banyuasin to make way for the planned Tanjung Api Api seaport.

After discussing the administration’s offer with fellow legislators, Sarjan demanded the mangers of the project pay him Rp 5 billion.

Previously, the court sentenced former lawmaker Yusuf Erwin Faisal to eight years in jail in the same case. (dre)