G

iven her ordeal this year, it seems food is the main concern of Siti Hartati Murdaya, the disgraced business tycoon who is currently detained by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in connection with a bribery scandal.

Hartati, a former member of the Democratic Party’s board of patrons, is on trial for allegedly bribing Buol Regent Amran Batalipu to issue a business permit in the Central Sulawesi regency.

During her trial on Thursday, she asked the Jakarta Corruption Court to allow food deliveries as the prison food was not up to her standard.

Hartati, who has been held in the KPK detention center since September, said on Thursday that she hardly ate the food provided due to her illnesses and her being a vegetarian.

“As a vegetarian, I can only eat dry bread at the detention center. Every morning, they give me cakes containing sugar and coconut milk. These are toxic to my body. I can’t eat it,” she said during a trial session.

Hartati’s lawyer, Dodi Abdul Kadir, claimed that she suffered high blood tension, cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease, thyroid gland disease and obstetrical complications, which prevented her from consuming some ingredients.

“Due to the illnesses, her doctor has recommended a special diet. Therefore, we ask the court to allow Bu Hartati to bring food in accordance with the doctor’s suggestion,” he said.

Hartati, who is accused of giving Rp 3 billion (US$312,501) in bribes to secure business permits for the operation of her oil palm plantation in Buol, had added a refrigerator at the detention center to keep her meals fresh.

“Yesterday, the refrigerator, microwave and television were taken away. Food rots quickly as they haven’t provided a refrigerator,” said Hartati, the owner of holding company PT Cipta Cakra Murdaya (CCM).

She added that her misery worsened as the KPK had also limited her time meeting family and friends.

“I’m only allowed to be visited two days a week. The visit is restricted to family only,” she said.

Presiding judge Gusrizal did not respond to Hartati’s story about a lack of family time or the absence of a refrigerator, microwave and television in her cell.

The judge, however, agreed that the 68-year-old woman must keep to her diet menu to maintain her health throughout the trial.

“I ask prosecutors and the detention center head to please coordinate about the food. If the defendant is sick, we can not proceed with the trial,” the judge said.

Also at the trial session, the court allowed Hartati to access regular physiotherapy at Abdi Waluyo Hospital in Central Jakarta, because the detention center did not provide such treatment.

The judges have also unfrozen four out of 36 frozen bank accounts belonging to the businesswoman.

“The freezing of the accounts has no relevance to the case because the accounts are not indicated as a result of the corruption,” the presiding judge said.

The decision was in response to Hartati’s request at the end of last month. She claimed that the 36 accounts were personal and had nothing to do with the scandal surrounding her company.

Gusrizal said that they had decided to unfreeze four of them, considering the noble purposes behind those four bank accounts.

“The money [in the accounts] is to fund charity work. Freezing these accounts has affected the construction of a hospital and other social activities,” the judge said. (yps)