Face the music: Former National Police Traffic Corps (Korlantas) chief Insp
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Former National Police Traffic Corps (Korlantas) chief Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo had to endure a 900-page indictment read out by prosecutors demanding the Jakarta Corruption Court sentence him to 18-years imprisonment for multiple charges of graft and money laundering.
Lead prosecutor KMS Roni said Djoko should be found guilty of colluding with Brig. Gen. Didik Purnomo and other parties to inflate the 2011 driving simulator procurement budget, which allegedly caused Rp 144.9 billion (US$13.53 million) in state losses.
'The defendant is proven guilty of corruption as stipulated under Article 2 of Law No. 31/1999,' the prosecutor said, adding that Djoko, the first police general to be charged by the KPK, should also be found guilty of money laundering.
In addition to the prison term, prosecutors demanded that Djoko be made to pay a fine of Rp 1 billion.
Djoko's eyes seemed to get heavy and his head dropped often throughout the reading of the mammoth charge document. He appeared to fight his lethargy by rocking his body and shaking his legs and arms every once in a while. Djoko's lawyer, Juniver Girsang, also fought fatigue and involuntarily closed his eyes for several minutes during the session.
Prosecutors said Djoko should be handed a severe penalty because he refused to admit his guilt and had shown no remorse.
The case for the prosecution maintained that Djoko had enriched himself by embezzling Rp 32 billion from the project, which he allegedly rigged so that PT Citra Mandiri Metalindo Abadi could win the tender.
'The defendant, therefore, must return the same amount of money he embezzled,' prosecutor Luki Dwi Nugroho said.
The prosecutors also alleged that Djoko, with no additional income to his Rp 28 million monthly salary, had a fortune larger than his financial profile as a two-star general.
Djoko allegedly amassed more than Rp 100 billion in assets from 2002 to 2012, prosecutors said. The money laundering charges are split into two, one for Djoko's alleged money laundering from 2010 to 2012, and the other for 2002 to 2010.
According to them, Djoko obtained Rp 63.7 billion in assets from 2010 to 2012. From these assets, Rp 32 billion was derived from the driving simulator project while another Rp 16 billion was obtained through a loan from the Korlantas cooperative.
The loan, however, was not secured as per the proper procedures, according to the prosecutors.
Djoko used the names of his relatives ' including his three wives, Suratmi, Mahdiana and Dipta Anindita ' to divert Rp 7 billion of his ill-gotten gains.
His assets often came in multiples, including properties with a total area of 2,640-square-meters, six tour buses, one car and three gas stations. The properties included luxury houses and apartments and were scattered all over Java and Bali.
During last week's trial session, Djoko tried to fight the money laundering charges leveled at him by providing a presentation detailing his assets now were allegedly purchased.
He insisted that his fortune came from multiple business ventures, run by his associates, including kris, land and jewelry trading.
Responding to this, prosecutors said his claims ' as well as witnesses testimonies from those who ran Djoko's businesses ' were dubious at best.
'Their statements were not backed by evidence to explain how he amassed [such a fortune]. Therefore, it could be concluded that their testimonies were not true,' one of the prosecutors said.
The driving simulator procurement scandal highlighted rampant corruption within the police force, which had long been free from public scrutiny, let alone prosecution.
In 2009, a public opinion poll conducted by Transparency International Indonesia found that the police was perceived to be most corrupt institution.
Djoko is scheduled to read his defense plea next Tuesday.
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