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Nurhadi’s 'light' sentence raises concerns about leniency for corruption, sentence disparity
Judges found former Supreme Court secretary Nurhadi guilty in a bribery case and sentenced him to six years in prison -- lighter than the prosecutors' demand of 12 years of imprisonment.
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Former Supreme Court secretary Nurhadi (right) attends a virtual verdict hearing at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) headquarters in Jakarta on March 10, 2021. Judges found the defendant guilty in a bribery case pertaining to three cases in the Supreme Court between 2011 and 2016 and sentenced him to six years' imprisonment and a Rp 500 million (US$34,662) fine. (Antara/Indrianto Eko Suwarso)
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“light” prison sentence handed down to former Supreme Court secretary Nurhadi for his role in a bribery case has raised concerns that the state court is lenient toward perpetrators of corruption in the country.
A panel of judges at the Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced on March 10 Nurhadi and his son-in-law Rezky Herbiyono to six years in prison and a Rp 500 million (US$34,662) fine for accepting bribes pertaining to three cases in the court between 2011 and 2016.
The verdict was lower than Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors’ demand of 12 years of imprisonment and a Rp 1 billion fine for both defendants.
The bench also rejected the prosecutors’ demand that Nurhadi and Rezki pay an Rp 83 billion restitution fee. Prosecutors suspected that both defendants had obtained a wealth of such amount from bribes and gratuities.
“We consider the defendants’ wrongdoings didn’t result in state loss since the illicit money was paid using the briber’s personal money,” judge Sukartono said during a hearing on March 10, as quoted by Kompas.
Presiding judge Saifuddin Zuhri said the bench also considered Nurhadi’s “role in supporting the Supreme Court’s development in the past” as a mitigating factor that could lessen the sentence against the defendant.
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