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KPK suffers another blow with not-guilty verdict for ex-PLN chief
The Jakarta Corruption Court has – for the first time ever – cleared a graft defendant of all charges in the trial of the former head of state-owned electricity company PLN, Sofyan Basir, dealing another blow to the embattled Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
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The former president director of state-owned electricity company PLN, Sofyan Basir, hugs family members after the verdict of the Jakarta Corruption Court on Monday. The panel of judges cleared him of all charges in a bribery case related to the construction of a coal-powered plant project in Riau. (JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
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he Jakarta Corruption Court has – for the first time ever – cleared a graft defendant of all charges in the trial of the former head of state-owned electricity company PLN, Sofyan Basir, dealing another blow to the embattled Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), which recently had its powers trimmed by a recent legal amendment.
Sofyan remained tight-lipped as journalists swarmed him upon entering the court on Monday morning. As he sat down on a bench in the courtroom, he finally uttered a brief comment: “I just wish for the best. I hope they set me free.”
And that came true. In an unexpected turn of events, the panel of five judges ruled in favor of Sofyan and cleared him of the accusation of playing a role in a bribery case related to a US$900 million project for a coal-fired power plant (PLTU) in Riau, known as the Riau-1 power plant project.
"We declare the defendant not guilty of any crimes indicted," presiding judge Hariono said at the hearing on Monday.
He ordered Sofyan to be released from detention with immediate effect.
Another member of the panel, judge Anwar, argued that, based on evidence brought to the court, Sofyan had not played a role in any illicit practices. He said Sofyan had facilitated meetings with parties related to the project as PLN president director “for the sake of supporting national electricity projects as stipulated in the 2016 and 2017 presidential regulations on electricity infrastructure.”
KPK prosecutors had indicted him of organizing several meetings between 2016 and 2018 to accelerate deliberation on the power plant project. The series of meetings had led to a bribery case involving Golkar Party politicians Idrus marham and Eni Maulani Saragih. The two politicians and businessman Johannes Budisutrisno Kotjo have all been convicted in the same case.
