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Light sentences for Novel’s attackers threaten graft busters' security
The panel of judges declared both men guilty of violating Article 353 of the Criminal Code on persecution causing serious injury or death, which carries a maximum sentence of nine years in prison upon conviction.
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Guilty as charged: A screen shows judges of the North Jakarta District Court as they read out their guilty verdicts for police officers Chief Brig. Ronny Bugis and Brig. Rahmat Kadir Mahulette, in the acid attack case against antigraft investigator Novel Baswedan. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
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op Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator Novel Baswedan has expressed concern that the lenient sentence handed down to his attackers would reflect the low commitment of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo administration’s to protecting graft busters.
“The judges’ decision to give my attackers light sentences only shows that the administration does not stand behind those who have fought against corruption in the country,” he said in a statement on Thursday night.
The North Jakarta District Court sentenced Novel’s attackers, police officers Brig. Rahmat Kadir Mahulette and Chief Brig. Ronny Bugis, to two years and 18 months in prison, respectively, on late Thursday.
The panel of judges declared both men guilty of violating Article 353 of the Criminal Code on persecution causing serious injury or death, which carries a maximum sentence of nine years in prison upon conviction.
Their sentences, however, are still longer than the one-year imprisonment initially demanded by prosecutors during a June 11 court session.
Commenting on the sentence, Novel feared that his fellow antigraft investigators would be vulnerable to similar forms of intimidation and attacks when attempting to seek justice.
He added that he was not upset about the verdict because he felt the entire trial had been filled with irregularities since it started on March 19.
