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Ex-councilor Sanusi gets 7 years in reclamation bribery case
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Former Jakarta councilor Mohammad Sanusi sits as a defendant in the Corruption Court in Jakarta during his plea on Dec. 22. He was sentenced to seven years in prison on Dec. 29. (Antara/M Agung Rajasa)
F
ormer Jakarta councilor Mohammad Sanusi was sentenced to seven years in prison in a bribery and money laundering case related to the controversial Jakarta Bay reclamation project.
A panel of judges at the Jakarta Corruption Court declared Thursday that the businessman-turned-politician had accepted a Rp 2 billion (US$148,500) kickback from Ariesman Widjaja, then president director of developer company PT Agung Podomoro Land, and laundered billions of rupiah of his unaccountable wealth.
“The defendant was proven guilty on corruption and bribery as charged,” presiding judge Sumpeno said.
Sumpeno, however, said the judges could not accept the demand from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) for prosecutors to strip Sanusi’s political rights as the court had no authority on that issue. The judges also ordered Sanusi’s assets, including apartment units and luxury cars, to be impounded.
In December 2015 and February this year, Sanusi, who held an important role in the North Jakarta Coast zoning plan draft bill discussion, initiated at least two meetings with Sugianto Kusuma, the chairman of Agung Sedayu Group, and Ariesman, in which the ex-councilor was asked to pass the draft.
On follow-up meetings in March, Ariesman had promised that he could deliver Rp 2.5 billion to Sanusi if he could pass the reclamation project’s draft bylaw and lower the developer’s 15 percent contribution clause in the bylaw to only 5 percent. The request was later accepted by Sanusi. (evi)
