At his sentencing Monday, the former director of regional autonomy at the Home Ministry was also ordered to pay Rp 100 million in fines or serve an additional three months in jail should he fail to do so.

Judges also ordered him to pay Rp 25 million in compensation.

The sentence was lighter than the five years sought by prosecutors from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

The judges said Oentarto was guilty of sending a memo telling regional administrations to buy only the fire engines provided by businessman Hengky Samuel Daud.

“The defendant is thus proven convincingly guilty of corruption,” said presiding judge Tjokorda Rai Suamba.

He added the defendant had violated Article 3 of the 2002 Corruption Law, on abuse of power, and Article 11 of the same law, on bribery.

At a previous hearing, it was revealed the memo did not actually name the specific brand of fire engine to be purchased, but only the specifications, of which Hengky’s company, PT Istana Saranaraya, was the sole supplier.

The judges said the memo was signed on behalf of former minister Hari Sabarno.

Twenty-two regencies and provinces used the memo as a recommendation to buy the fire engines without first holding a tender, as required by law.

As a result, several former regional officials, including then Riau governor Saleh Djasit and then West Java governor Danny Setiawan, have since been jailed.

Oentarto was also proven to have received gratuities from Hengky worth Rp 200 million, of which Rp 150 million has since been recovered by the KPK.

In response to the verdict, Oentarto said he would take a week to consider whether to appeal.

After the trial, he called on the KPK to also name Hari a suspect and take him to court.

“The KPK owes me,” he said through his lawyer, Firman Wijaya.

“It should bring Hari Sabarno to justice. We have all the necessary evidence to prove his involvement in the case.”

Among the evidence, Oentarto said, was a statement from Hari’s former secretary to the effect that Hari had endorsed the procurement project in the first place.

There was also the testimony of dozens of mayors and governors who said Hari had introduced them to Hengky, he added.

Hengky, the main defendant in the case, was arrested in June last year after a three-year investigation.

Oentarto said Hari, through his secretary Suroso, had ordered him to issue memos to governors and mayors requiring them to purchase fire engines supplied by Hengky.

When testifying in an earlier hearing, Hari denied ever giving such an order.

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