Prosecutors seek five year sentence for former top official in website graft case

State prosecutors have called for Romli Atmasasmita to be sentenced to five years imprisonment for his alleged role in a website graft case at the Justice and Human Rights Ministry, which caused Rp 400 billion (US$ 40 million) in losses to the state.

They also called for Romli, former director general of legal administration at the ministry, to pay Rp 500 million, or else serve an additional six months in jail.

During Wednesday's court session at the South Jakarta District Court, prosecutor Fadil Jumhana said that the defendant had violated article 12 (E) of the 2001 Anticorruption Law.

“The defendant received Rp 1.3 billion from access fees that should have been transferred to the state. The defendant did not admit his wrongdoing and does not regret it,” Fadil said, as quoted by state news agency Antara.

After the trial, Romli said that five-years jail was too much.

“I never worked with the ministry's Employees Cooperatives to do the ministry's website project. Former minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra has to be named a suspect, too,” Romli said.

The ministry made a public services website with PT Sarana Rekatama Dinamika (SRD), who kept 90 percent of the revenue generated by the site for themselves. (ewd)