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Golkar politician Eni Saragih gets six years, has political rights suspended

In the case, which had also implicated the country’s second-largest party as among recipients of the bribes, she was sentenced to six years in prison and a Rp 500 million fine, as well as ordered to return Rp 5 billion and S$40,000 in restitution.

News Desk (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Sat, March 2, 2019

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Golkar politician Eni Saragih gets six years, has political rights suspended Golkar Party politician and former lawmaker Eni Saragih (Antara/Sigid Kurniawan)

T

he Jakarta Corruption Court ruled on Friday that Golkar Party politician Eni Maulani Saragih was guilty of accepting bribes related to a multimillion dollar coal-fired power plant construction project in Riau.    

In the case, which had also implicated the country’s second-largest party as among recipients of the bribes, she was sentenced to six years in prison and a Rp 500 million (US$35,440) fine, as well as ordered to return Rp 5 billion and S$40,000 in restitution.

The court has also suspended her political rights for three years, which means that Eni,  who once served as deputy chairwoman of the House of Representatives’ Commission VII overseeing energy and mineral resources, will not be allowed to run for office for three years after her release.  

“The defendant was proven guilty of corruption and several other crimes,” presiding judge Yanto said as quoted by tempo.co.

Yanto said Eni was proven guilty of accepting Rp 4.75 billion from businessman Johanes Budisutrisno Kotjo, a shareholder at energy firm BlackGold Natural Resources Limited.

In return for the funds, Eni and fellow Golkar politician and former social affairs minister Idrus Marham helped a consortium led by BlackGold and China Huadian Engineering Company Limited win the project, also known as PLTU Riau-1, which is valued at around US$900 million.

Idrus’ trial is ongoing at the Jakarta court, while Johannes has been found guilty in the case and sentenced to two years and eight months in prison.

Aside from Idrus and Eni, the bribes were also channeled to Golkar, some of which have been returned by the party.

Erni’s verdict also shed a light into the role of state-owned electricity firm PLN president director Sofyan Basir.

The panel of judges said Eni had introduced Johannes to Sofyan, who oversaw the government’s power plant projects, and that the three had met multiple times before the project was granted to Blackgold.

In one of the meetings, Sofyan told Johannes that his company would get the project through direct appointment, however PT Pembangkit Jawa Bali, a subsidiary of PLN, must attain a 5 percent share in the consortium company that would construct the power plant.   

During the trial, Eni accused Sofyan of having an important role in the bribery case. Sofyan was said to have told Johannes that the project would be handed over to other companies if the businessman did not comply with the mechanism that PLN had required for the project. (das)

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