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Kaligis blames staffer for bribery

Graft suspect and lawyer OC Kaligis has blamed his staff member, M

The Jakarta Post
Jakarta
Thu, November 26, 2015

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Kaligis blames staffer for bribery

G

raft suspect and lawyer OC Kaligis has blamed his staff member, M. Yagari '€œGerry'€ Bhastara, for attempting to bribe judges in a corruption case in North Sumatra.

Kaligis and Gerry, along with suspended North Sumatra governor Gatot Pujo Nugroho, have been named suspects for allegedly paying three judges at Medan State Administrative Court (PTUN Medan) to halt an investigation into a case surrounding social aid fund misuse in the provincial administration.

'€œGerry always lies, he takes advantage of my name,'€ Kaligis said during the reading of his defense plea at the Corruption Court on Wednesday.

Prosecutors have demanded 10 years in prison for the 73-year-old senior advocate and former executive of the NasDem Party.

Kaligis is accused of bribing PTUN Medan head Tripeni Irianto Putro as well as judges Amir Fauzi and Dermawan Ginting, and a court clerk Syamsir Yusfan.

He allegedly paid the money through Gerry,

With the exception of Kaligis and Gatot, the suspects were arrested in Tripeni'€™s office on July 9 as they carried out the transaction. KPK investigators confiscated alleged bribe money amounting to US$15,000 and S$5,000 ($3,553) during the raid.

In the case, the antigraft body also named Gatot'€™s second wife, Evi Susanti a suspect.

Kaligis and Gerry, along with Gatot and Evi, are accused of paying Tripeni S$5,000 and $15,000, Amir and Dermawan $5,000 each and Syamsir $2,000.

Kaligis, acting as Gatot'€™s lawyer, is alleged to have bribed the court officials to rule in favor of his client, who had sought a verdict that would clear him in an investigation that had been launched by the local prosecutor'€™s office.

Ahmad Fuad Lubis, an official from the North Sumatra administration, had filed a lawsuit with the PTUN Medan against his summons and questioning by the North Sumatra Prosecutor'€™s Office over the alleged misuse of 2012 and 2013 social aid funds.

It was suspected that Kaligis'€™ bribe money came from Gatot and Evi. Evi has admitted that she gave the money to Kaligis to bribe the judges, adding that Kaligis had often asked her for money.

Aside from demanding the decade-long prison term for Kaligis, the KPK prosecutors also asked the corruption court'€™s panel of judges to order Kaligis to pay Rp 500 million ($36,575) or serve an additional four months in prison.

The KPK prosecution team previously demanded four years'€™ imprisonment for Tripeni and four-and-a-half years for Syamsir.

'€œI was supposed to be sentenced to two years, half that of Tripeni and Syamsir,'€ claimed Kaligis, adding that the KPK prosecutors could never prove his involvement in the case.

He insisted he had no knowledge of Gerry'€™s role in the case, including his meeting with the judges.

Kaligis admitted that he had given $1,000 to Syamsir, but denied that it was a bribe, saying that the money was to make Syamsir'€™s family happy.

The KPK chief prosecution team Yudi Kristiana said after the trial that Kaligis was entitled to claim anything, but he was sure that the prosecutors would prove their case.

'€œThat is just a common denial. I am sure that the panel of judges will work professionally [in delivering a verdict],'€ Yudi said. (foy)

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