Elnusa finance director gets 8 years in prison

A panel of judges sentenced publicly-listed state oil and gas firm PT Elnusa Tbk. finance director Santun Nainggolan to eight years in prison and a Rp 5.92 billion (US$657,120) fine for embezzlement, at the Bandung Corruption Court on Monday.

“The indicted has been proven guilty of embezzling collectively and continuously,” presiding judge Sinung Hermawan said as he read out the verdict.

The verdict was lighter than the 12 year sentence and a Rp 1 billion (US$111,000) fine that had been sought by prosecutor Apriliani Purb

The panel of judges said that Santun’s denial had further incriminated his situation.

Santun was proven guilty of amassing Rp 11 billion in bribes as a fee for storing the firm's funds in companies such as PT Discovery and PT Harvest. Santun returned more than Rp 5 billion.

The corruption case, worth Rp 111 billion within the company, implicated five other people: PT Discovery Indonesia director and PT Harvest Asset Management commissioner Ivan CH Litha, Bank Mega Jababeka branch head Itman Harry Basuki, Ivan’s colleagues Andhy Gunawan and Richard Latief, and Teuku Zulham Sjuib.

PT Elnusa deposited Rp 161 billion in Bank Mega’s time deposit in September 2009.  The company withdrew Rp 50 billion in March 2010, supposedly leaving Rp 111 billion funds idle. However, the funds disappeared.

Santun reportedly used forged signatures to withdraw the firm’s funds from Bank Mega’s Jababeka branch in Cikarang, Bekasi.

Separately, a panel of judges sentenced Ivan to nine years in prison and a Rp 1 billion fine for accepting the money.

Prosecutors had demanded 10 years in prison and a Rp 500 million fine for Andy and eight years and a Rp 500 million fine for both Richard and Zulham.

For Itman, twelve years in prison and a Rp 500 million fine were sought. (swd)