Prosecutors seek five-year sentence for corrupt ministry official
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Wed, 03/18/2009 2:41 PM
Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors demanded Wednesday a five-year jail sentence for Bahrun Effendi, a former official of the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry, for his alleged involvement in the embezzlement of Rp 13.7 billion (US$1.15 million) in funds from procurement projects.
“There is strong evidence that the defendant was involved in the conspired crime,” Catharina Girsang, one of the prosecutors, said in a statement to the court.
The prosecutors further demanded Bahrun pay Rp 150 million in restitutions and Rp 200 million in fines or serve an additional three-months if he fails to do so.
The defendant, a former secretary at the ministry's productivity directorate, allegedly worked together with Taswin Zein, the former treasurer of the directorate, to embezzle funds from Rp 45 billion allocated for the procurement of vocational training center equipment and the development of training and apprenticeship projects between October 2004 and May 2005 .
The KPK said that Bahrun approved an order to disburse funds handed over equipment to suppliers who had not signed contracts with the ministry and took Rp 150 million.
The KPK also accused Bahrun, together with Taswin, of paying Supreme Audit agency auditors Bagindo Quirinno and Poempida Hidayatulloh a total of Rp 800 million in return for falsifying audit reports on the procurement projects.
The Corruption Court found Taswin guilty of his role in the crime and sentenced him to four years in jail. The KPK has also detained Bagindo for the alleged bribery. (dre)
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