Former ministry supplier gets 30 months' jail

Irawaty Wardany ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 07/01/2009 12:14 PM  |  National

A former supplier for the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry, Erry Fuad, fell unconscious for a few minutes on Tuesday, after judges at the Corruption Court sentenced her to two-and-a-half-years' imprisonment, in a corruption case worth some Rp 2.1 billion (US$206,000) in state losses.

"The defendant is found legally and convincingly guilty of enriching herself, other people or a corporation in the ministry's procurement project," presiding judge Martini Mardja said as she read out the verdict.

The judges also ordered Erry pay Rp 50 million in fines or serve an additional three months' imprisonment should she fail to pay.

The verdict was less than the four years' imprisonment and Rp 200 million in fines sought by prosecutors, because the judges said Erry's children needed to be taken care of.

Erry's company CV Dareta was appointed directly to supply training equipment to seven vocational training centers (in Makassar, Samarinda, Serang, Lembang, Semarang, Ternate and Medan) in 2004 with a total budget of Rp 8.9 billion.

Dareta and four other firms - PT Suryantara Purna Wibawa, PT Panton Pauh Putra, PT Gita Vidya Utama and PT Mulindo Agung Trikarsa - were appointed without tender, to purchase equipment for vocational training centers in 10 provinces worth some Rp 50 billion.

"There were *also* budget allocations that were not allocated according to *the project's* purpose," judge Sofialdi said.

Inappropriate allocations included Rp 977 million sent to the project chief, Taswin Zein, in the form of "tactical fund".

Payouts were also made to several senior ministry officials including the former secretary at the ministry's manpower development and placement directorate, Bachrun Effendi, and the ministry's former secretary-general, Tjeppy Alowie.

These payouts were part of Rp 14 billion embezzled from the 2003 state budget for the ministry to purchase the equipment.

"*Erry's* company was appointed after her brother, Daan Ahmadi, made an agreement with Taswin," Sofialdi said.

Erry signed fabricated contracts provided by Taswin, allowing them to claim the suppliers had provided the equipment in December 2004, when in fact it did not materialize until early 2005.

"The defendant did not check the document before signing it," Martini said.

An auditor from the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), Bagindo Quirinno, later discovered the project costs had been inflated, and Taswin paid him Rp 650 million in bribes to falsify the audit results.

Taswin and Bachrun have been sentenced to four years' imprisonment each, while Bagindo is still facing trial at the Corruption Court.

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