T

he Semarang Corruption Court on Tuesday sentenced former Salatiga mayor John Manuel Manoppo to three-and-a-half-years in jail and a fine of Rp 100 million (US$10,276), or an additional three-month jail term, for his involvement in the Salatiga southern ring road (JLS) graft case.

The former mayor, without the recommendation of the bidding committee, awarded the partnership of PT Kuntjup-PT Kadi International Joint Operation the JLS project. Kuntjup-Kadi bid Rp 47 billion while another company, PT Bali Pacific, proposed Rp 42 billion.

Manoppo was found to have violated articles 3 and 18 of Law No. 31/1999, as amended with Law No. 20/2001, on corruption.

Manoppo's sentence was less than the seven-and-a-half year jail term sought by prosecutors.

The fact that he was a public official and did not participate in eradicating corrupt practices was deemed an aggravating factor. Mitigating factors included the defendant's age (66), his ill-health and an instance of him serving the community.

In response to the verdict Manoppo and the public prosecutor said they would consider it.

In a separate trial held previously, Titik Kirnaningsih, an executive at PT Kuntjup and wife of current Salatiga Mayor Yuliyanto, was jailed for five years and fined Rp 300 million, or an additional four months of jail term, for embezzling the JLS project fund. She was also ordered by the Semarang Corruption Court to return Rp 2.5 billion or serve an additional two years of jail term.

On Monday, prosecutors sought an eight year jail term for nonactive Central Java Legislative Council deputy speaker Riza Kurniawan for his alleged involvement in a social fund graft case for the purchase of sport utilities for the provincial chapter of the Indonesian National Sports Committee (KONI), which caused Rp 1.14 billion in
state losses.

Public prosecutors also slapped Riza with a Rp 200 million fine, or an additional five months in jail, and return Rp 1.14 billion to the state, or serve an additional four years in prison.

According to the prosecutors, Riza violated articles 2 (1) and 18 of Law No. 31/1999 on corruption eradication.

'The defendant committed or jointly committed a deed to enrich himself or a corporation that caused a loss to the state and disturbed the state's economy,' prosecutor Harwanti said as he read out the sentence recommendation at the Semarang Corruption Court on Monday.

Aggravating factors cited included the fact that the defendant did not support the state in eradicating corruption and misappropriated the funds, while the family Riza had to support was cited as a mitigating factor.

Riza and his team of lawyers said they would present their defense statement on May 6.

Riza was previously sentenced to three years in prison for a graft case in the misappropriation of a religious social fund in Magelang regency from the Central Java 2008 provincial budget which caused Rp 1.15 billion in state losses.