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Tycoon released on parole
Anti-graft activists have criticized the decision by the Law and Human Rights Ministry to release graft convict Siti Hartati Murdaya on parole
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nti-graft activists have criticized the decision by the Law and Human Rights Ministry to release graft convict Siti Hartati Murdaya on parole.
Head of Indonesia Corruption Watch's (ICW) legal department, Emerson Yuntho, said granting the parole indicated a lack of commitment by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's administration to the corruption-eradication campaign.
'In his speeches, President SBY claims that he is in the forefront of the fight against corruption. But in fact, he is up front releasing graft convicts,' Emerson said as quoted by kompas.com.
Law and Human Rights Minister Amir Syamsudin said on Sunday that Hartati met all the requirements for parole.
'This is not a popular decision, but please understand she is not simply being let go, she is being released on parole,' Amir said.
Amir said Hartati deserved the parole because she had served two thirds of her jail term, paid court-ordered fines and behaved well while in prison.
The Jakarta Corruption Court found Hartati, a businesswoman and a benefactor of the Democratic Party, guilty of bribery and sentenced her to two years and eight months in prison in Feb. 2013.
Hartati was convicted of offering Rp 3 billion (US$313,000) in kickbacks to Amran Batalipu, the former head of Central Sulawesi's Buol district.
