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orruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors demanded on Monday that the Jakarta Corruption Court sentence Democratic Party senior politician Sutan Bhatoegana to 11 years in prison for receiving bribes while serving as a lawmaker in 2013.

'€œThe defendant deserves that jail term considering the fact that his offenses have tarnished the image of the House as a highly respectable institution,'€ KPK prosecutor Dody Sukmono read during a sentence-demand hearing at the court on Monday.

KPK prosecutors also urged the panel of judges to order Sutan to pay a fine of Rp 500 million (US$37,000) for receiving $344,000 as well as a house and a car while he served as a member of House Commission VII overseeing energy and mineral resources from 2009 to 2013.

'€œIf he fails to pay the fine then he must serve an additional six months behind bars,'€ Dody said.

Dody argued that the KPK prosecutors'€™ examinations over the nearly four month long trial had found that Sutan, who showed no remorse for his wrongdoings, had violated Articles 11 and 12 of Law No. 31/1999 on corruption, punishable by a maximum 15 years'€™ imprisonment.

KPK prosecutors also demanded that the court strip Sutan of his political rights, which if approved, could prevent him from running for office.

Prosecutor Dody said that Sutan had received $140,000 from the then Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry secretary-general Waryono Karno, who sourced it from former Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas) chief Rudi Rubiandini, who earlier in the case was sentenced to seven years in prison.

Sutan received the money as a payment for approving electricity and gas subsidy funding, which had been proposed by the government in 2013.

'€œEach of the seven Commission VII leaders received $7,500, while each of the 43 members received $2,500. Also, $2,500 was given to the commission'€™s secretariat office. The total was $140,000,'€ Dody said, adding that Sutan received the money in May 2013.

Additionally, KPK prosecutors charged Sutan with receiving $200,000 in holiday bonuses ahead of the 2013 Idul Fitri celebration.

The third alleged payment was Rp 50 million in '€œgratuities'€, reportedly funneled to Sutan by former energy minister Jero Wacik, a senior Democratic Party politician.

Sutan'€™s first hearing also highlighted gifts he received from other parties, including a Toyota Alphard van from Yan Achmad Suep, director of oil and gas company PT Dara Trasindo Eltra, and a house with land in Medan
from businessman Saleh Abdul Malik, who owns PT Sam Mitra Mandiri.

The SKKMigas money was just a small part of the millions of dollars that Rudi received from a number of oil and gas companies, including Singapore-based oil firm Kernel Oil Pte Ltd.

Rudi claimed that he had no choice but to accept the money because he had to pass it on to '€œother parties'€, including the House and the energy ministry.

Although Rudi acknowledged bribing Sutan, the later insisted that all KPK accusations against him were '€œfictitious'€.

'€œThis is an injustive. All the evidence that emerged during the trial failed to prove me guilty. If the panel of judges believes that I am innocent then kindly release me from all charges,'€ Sutan told the panel of judges, responding to the sentence demand.