Former House of Representatives' Commission IV member Sarjan Tahir has been sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison and fined Rp200 million for receiving a bribe to approve a project to convert a protected forest in Banyuasin, South Sumatra, into a seaport.
Presiding judge Gusrizal told the Corruption Court that Tahir was guilty of violating Article 12 of the 1999 Corruption Law in receiving a Rp 5 billion bribe, and also Article 11 of the same law for accepting an additional Rp 170 million in connection to the Banyuasin conversion project.
"The defendant is certainly and legally proven to have committed primary and secondary graft," he said as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.
Tahir's profession as a lawmaker was reportedly among the factors that worked against him.
"The accused, however, regretted his acts and admitted his guilt, was cooperative throughout [the legal process] and up-front during questioning. These were among the factors that were to his defense," Gusrizal added.
Another member of the panel of judges, Andi Bachtiar, added that Tahir's crime was not an isolated one.
"There was close cooperation between House members and the South Sumatra provincial administration," Bachtiar said, referring to other implicated officials, namely legislators Yusuf Erwin Faishal, Azwar Chesputra and Hilman Indra, as well as former South Sumatra governor Sjahrial Osman and businessman Chandra Antonio Tan. (amr)
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