T

he Jayapura Corruption Court sentenced Papua Legislative Council (DPRD) speaker John Ibo on Wednesday to one year and 10 months in prison for misappropriating Rp 5.2 billion (US$533,878) from the 2006 provincial budget.

Ibo was also ordered to pay a fine of Rp 50 million and return Rp 1 billion in state funds.

When presiding judge Jack Octavianus read out the verdict, he said Ibo was proven guilty of abusing his power and position to enrich himself and had violated Law No. 20/2001 on corruption eradication.

The sentence was two months lighter than that two years demanded by prosecutors.

As much as Rp 2.6 billion of the Rp 5.2 billion in ill-gotten funds were derived from state agencies and the remaining Rp 2.6 billion from assistance funds for mass organizations and for the construction of Ibo’s official residence.

It was disclosed in the hearing that the Rp 2.6 billion was disbursed in August 2006 and was used to pay for the construction of three of Ibo’s private homes in three locations — Ardipura subdistrict in Jayapura and Kertosari and Doyo Baru in Sentani, Jayapura regency.

The remaining Rp 2.6 billion was disbursed in December 2006 to be used in 2007 for the construction of 12 homes of people displaced by a fire at Lake Sentani and to assist in the construction of a church, to buy musical instruments for villages around Lake Sentani and for residents in Natembu village, Serui in Yapen regency.

“Actually, the funds were not allocated in the 2006 provincial budget but Ibo wrote a memo to Papua provincial secretary Baso Basaleng and the provincial secretariat financial bureau head to disburse the assistance funds to the Papua legislative speaker, so the funds were disbursed,” said judge Octavianus.

After the trial, Ibo became enraged and said the court had not sided with the people of Papua, because the assistance funds were also given to the provincial police chief, the Indonesian Military commander, the chief prosecutor and the Navy and Air Force commanders.

“Is it because I am a Papuan so I have to face the law, while other officials who also received the assistance funds were not legally processed,” Ibo cried outside the courtroom.

Ibo, who was accompanied by lawyer Rahman Ramli, said he would consider filing an appeal.

“I’m not guilty, the legal process is a mistake, so I and my defense team will consider the next legal measures to take,” said Ibo.

Octavianus gave Ibo two days to respond to the ruling, after which it would be assumed that he accepted the verdict.