A

n official who prosecuted several top officials for crimes including corruption and murder was sentenced to prison on Tuesday for doctoring the indictment of Gayus H. Tambunan.

The Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced prosecutor Cirus Sinaga to five years’ imprisonment on Tuesday for altering Gayus’ indictment to help the rogue taxman evade corruption charges.

The judges also sentenced Cirus to pay a Rp 150 million (US$16,950) fine.

“[Cirus] has been found guilty of violating the Law on Corruption by obstructing the investigation and the prosecution of a corruption case,” lead judge Albertina Ho said.

The sentence was less than the six years demanded by prosecutors at the start of Cirus’ trial.

Albertina said that Cirus had failed to study Gayus’ case. “He consciously did not include the articles of corruption, so we decided the defendant could be held accountable,” she said.

Palmer Situmorang, a member of Cirus’ legal team, told the judges that his client would appeal.

Cirus made headlines last year when Gayus, currently imprisoned for corruption, announced that he paid Cirus a $50,000 bribe to drop the graft charges against him.

Gayus was subsequently indicted for money laundering and fraud — with corruption charges notably absent — when he stood trial at the Tangerang District Court in March 2010.

Eka Kurnia Sari, Cirus’ fellow prosecutor on the case, previously told the court that Gayus was supposed to have been indicted for corruption.

Gayus also claimed to have bribed a legion of other law enforcement officials, including police officers Comr. Arafat Enanie and Adj. Comr. Sri Sumartini and judge Muhtadi Asnun, who presided over Gayus’ first trial at the Tangerang District Court. The three have subsequently been convicted of corruption.

Cirus, a prosecutor of 26 years’ service, was involved in several high-profile cases, and led the prosecution of former Corruption Eradication Commission chief Antasari Azhar for masterminding the murder of businessman Nasrudin Zulkarnaen.

Antasari and his lawyers continue to claim that his conviction was rigged by those who disliked the KPK’s arrest of several top figures, including President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s father-in-law, former Bank Indonesia governor Aulia Pohan.

Antasari was later sentenced to 18 years’ imprisonment.

Cirus also led the prosecution of Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, asking that the former Garuda Indonesia pilot be sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of human rights activist Munir.

Pollycarpus was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment.

Cirus was also the prosecutor who asked that former National Intelligence Agency deputy chief Muchdi Purwopranjono be sentenced to 15 years’ imprisonment for masterminding Munir’s premeditated murder. Muchdi was later acquitted.

Attorney General’s Office (AGO) spokesperson Noor Rachmad said that the AGO would wait for Cirus’ appeal to work its way through the courts before deciding if Cirus would be dismissed.

“We will wait until the verdict is legally binding,” he said.