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orruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors demanded Jakarta Corruption Court judges sentence former Democratic Party treasurer Muhammad Nazaruddin to seven years in prison for accepting bribes worth Rp 4.6 billion (US$504,000).

The prosecutors concluded that Nazaruddin accepted the bribes to rig a bid related to the construction of the 2011 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games athletes’ village.

During the trial, prosecutors stated that Nazaruddin served as a go-between between the Youth and Sports Ministry and the private construction company that won the bid, PT Duta Graha Indah (DGI), as well as the House of Representatives’ budgetary body.

Bribes reportedly worth some Rp 4.6 billion, in the form of five checks, were paid by DGI official Mohamad El Idris through Nazaruddin’s subordinates in Permai Group, Yulianis and Oktarina Furi.

The SEA Games’ bribery case made headlines when El Idris, along with Nazaruddin’s former confidante at Permai Group, Mindo Rosalina “Rosa” Manulang, and Youth and Sports Ministry secretary Wafid Muharram, were arrested in April last year after El Idris, with Rosa’s help, delivered checks to Wafid worth Rp 3.2 billion. El Idris and Rosa are now serving prison terms for their roles in the case.

Only minutes after prosecutor I Kadek Wiradana began to read out the 1,124-page sentence demand, Nazaruddin raised his objections, demanding prosecutors back their claim about the Rp 4.6 billion.

Kadek continued with his sentence demand, saying that prosecutors found Nazaruddin violating Article 12 (b) of the 2001 Corruption Law of accepting bribes, a charge which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in jail.

Fellow prosecutor Yudi Kristiana said that the defendant controlled the money. “Therefore, the accusation of accepting something has been proven.”

“To get the budget for the project, he funneled Rp 16.7 billion to some actors,” Yudi said. “On May 5, 2010 he channeled Rp 3 billion and Rp 2 billion consecutively to the House budgetary body through lawmakers Angelina Sondakh — now a suspect herself — and I Wayan Koster.”

Rufinus Hutauruk, one of Nazaruddin’s lawyers, interrupted. “Where is the money?” he said.

Presiding judge Sudharmawatiningsih banged her gavel, calling for order. “Just listen to the prosecutors; they have yet to finish their sentence demand,” she said.

“What if they say nothing about the money?” Rufinus said.

“Then you may express your objection in the defense statement,” the judge replied.

Nazaruddin dropped another bombshell after the session.

“I will reveal everything to the KPK, including a fictitious $200 million Merpati airlines case which involved many lawmakers in the construction project of the Constitutional Court building and construction of power plants in Kalimantan and Riau under the State power utility PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara [PLN],” Nazaruddin said.