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panel of judges sentenced the finance director of publicly listed state oil and gas firm PT Elnusa Tbk, Santun Nainggolan, to eight years in prison and fined Rp 5.92 billion (US$657,120) for embezzlement at the Bandung Corruption Court on Monday.

“The indicted has been proven guilty of embezzling collectively and continuously,” presiding judge Sinung Hermawan said as he read out the verdict.

The verdict was lighter than the 12-year sentence and the Rp 1 billion ($111,000) fine that had been sought by prosecutor Apriliani Purba.

The judges said that Santun’s denials was further incrimination.

Santun was convicted of amassing Rp 11 billion in bribes, in return for storing the firm’s funds in companies such as PT Discovery and PT Harvest. Santun has returned more than Rp 5 billion.

The corruption cost the company Rp 111 billion. Five other people have been implicated in the case: PT Discovery Indonesia director and PT Harvest Asset Management commissioner Ivan CH Litha, Bank Mega Jababeka branch head Itman Harry Basuki, Ivan’s colleagues Andhy Gunawan and Richard Latief, and Teuku Zulham Sjuib.

PT Elnusa deposited Rp 161 billion in Bank Mega in September 2009. The company withdrew Rp 50 billion in March 2010, supposedly leaving Rp 111 billion in funds idle.

However, the funds disappeared.

Santun reportedly used forged signatures to withdraw the firm’s funds from Bank Mega’s Jababeka branch in Cikarang, Bekasi.

Separately, a panel of judges sentenced Ivan to nine years in prison and handed him a Rp 1 billion fine for accepting the money.

Prosecutors had demanded 10 years in prison and a Rp 500 million fine for Andy, and eight years’ imprisonment and Rp 500 million fines for Richard and Zulham.

For Itman, 12 years in prison and a Rp 500 million fine have been sought.

Meanwhile in Central Java, Batang regent Bambang Bintoro, who has been named suspect in a corruption case since 2008, has yet to be not tried.

Bambang has been accused of being involved in the misappropriation of money from the 2004 regional budget fund, worth nearly Rp 1 billion.

Monday was Bambang’s last day as the regent of Batang after a two-term period, marked by renewed calls for him to answer the allegations.

“Today we sent a letter to the Central Java Prosecutors’ Office to try Bambang Bintoro. There is no reason for the prosecutors’ office to wait for a permit from the President,” Eko Haryanto, coordinator of the Central Java Corruption, Collusion and Nepotism Eradication Commission (KP2KKN), said in a statement.

Eko asked prosecutors to hand Bambang’s case to the Semarang Corruption Court as soon as possible.

Bambang, the head of the local board of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), was named a suspect for allegedly embezzling funds of up to Rp 1 billion on behalf of former members of Batang’s legislative council between 1999 and 2004. However, any effort to bring Bambang to court has failed due to the absence of permits from the President.

“Therefore, we consider there is no longer reason for the Central Java provincial prosecutors’ office not to investigate Bambang because there is no need to wait for any permit,” Eko said.

Eko said that of the 35 regencies and cities in Central Java, 23 regents have been named suspects in corruption cases. Of those, 13 have been sentenced to between 1.5 to five years in jail.

“Out of the 13 crooked regents, only four have final verdicts issued by the Supreme Court. The remainder is still in the process of appeal,” Eko added. (swd)