North Sumatra'€™s Mandailing Natal Regent Muhammad Hidayat Batubara was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison for corruption on Wednesday, while a Bandung court clerk was also tried for the same crime.

The Medan Corruption Court stated that Hidayat was found guilty of jointly committing graft in the Penyabungan Hospital project, worth Rp 32 billion (US$2.6 million).

The verdict, handed down by a panel of judges presided over by Agus Setiawan, was lighter than the sentence of eight years sought by Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors.

The judges also required Hidayat to pay a fine of Rp 300 million or serve five supplementary months in prison.

In his verdict, Agus said Hidayat was proven guilty of violating Article 12 on prohibition of accepting gratification and Article 11 of Law No. 31/1999 on corruption eradication.

'€œThere is evidence in the form of a conversation between the defendant and witnesses, recorded by the KPK, strengthening the proof that the defendant violated the law,'€ said Agus at the trial.

Agus added that the violation stemmed from an order from the defendant to his subordinates to find a contractor that was willing to build the Penyabungan Hospital by giving a fee of 7 percent.

Agus said two contractors were willing to carry out the project, funds for which were derived from the North Sumatra provincial administration'€™s regional secondary assistance budget in 2013.

The contractors carrying out the project were Leonardi Sihite, a friend of the defendant and Surung Panjaitan, a private contractor. Both of them were given the opportunity by Hidayat to carry out the hospital project through a special staffer at the Mandailing Natal regency administration, Raja Sahlan Nasution.

Agus stated the project did not go to tender but was dependant on the fee given.

Earlier the same day, the Medan Corruption Court handed down a sentence of four-and-a-half years and a fine of Rp 300 million to Mandailing Natal Public Works Office head Khairul Anwar Daulay, who was proven guilty of accepting a bribe of Rp 1 billion in the same case. The verdict was lighter than that of six years sought by prosecutors.

In the same case, contractor Surung was earlier sentenced to two years and five months, less than the four years demanded by prosecutors.

In Bandung, West Java, former Bandung Industrial Relations Court clerk Ike Wijayanto was tried in a bribery case involving a judge and could face 20 years in prison.

'€œHe was indicted of cumulative charges and of violating six articles,'€ said KPK prosecutor Asrul Alimin after the trial at the Bandung Corruption Court on Wednesday.

In the trial, the team of prosecutors indicted Ike, who has served as a Bandung District Court clerk since October 2013, of violating articles of Law No. 20/2001 and Law No. 25/2003 on money laundering crimes and Law No. 8/2010 on prevention and eradication of money laundering crimes.

'€œHe could face up to 20 years in prison,'€ said Asrul.

The case stemmed from a bribery case involving Imas Dianasari, ad hoc judge at the Bandung Industrial Relations Court, committed by PT Onamba Indonesia president director Toshio Shiokawa in 2012. Imas was sentenced to six years, while Toshio and his subordinate Odih Juanda were sentenced to between three and four years.

KPK prosecutors also indicted Ike for money laundering between 2006 and October 2010. The defendant, said Asrul, had intentionally accumulated wealth of Rp 2.2 billion, believed to be derived from corruption, which he deposited in several banks.

Besides that, Ike also used the money to buy two cars, two houses and four pieces of property for a total sum of Rp 1.23 billion.

Popular

Prabowo inaugurates construction of Majapahit palace replica

Indonesia sees hottest April in 40 years

Is Indonesia really ready to embrace dual citizenship?