Proven Corruption, Three Commissioners Of Bawaslu Prabumulih Sentenced To Prison Up To 4 Years

The Panel of Judges at the Palembang District Court, South Sumatra, sentenced three commissioners of the Prabumulih City Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), accused of corruption in budget grant funds in 2017-2018 with a sentence of three years and 10 months and four years in prison, respectively.

The verdict was read out by presiding judge Sahlan Effendi, for the defendants Herman Julaidi, M Iqbal Rivana and Iin Susanti as commissioners of the Prabumulih City Bawaslu, during a trial at the Palembang District Court, Tuesday, June 6.

"With this, the trial, sentenced the defendants Herman Julaidi and M Iqbal Rivana to four years in prison and the defendant Iin Susanti to three years and 10 months in prison, reduced while the defendants were in detention," said presiding judge Sahlan as quoted by ANTARA.

In addition, the panel of judges also sentenced the defendants to a fine of Rp. 100 million each, subsidiary to three months in prison, and the three defendants were sentenced to additional penalties to return compensation for state losses worth Rp. 210 million.

The panel of judges assessed that the defendants did not control and supervise the expenditure of the Prabumulih Bawaslu grant in the implementation of regional head elections, so that elements of benefiting themselves and others or corporations had been fulfilled.

As for this as regulated in Article 3 Juncto, Article 18 of Law (UU) of the Republic of Indonesia Number 31 of 1999 which has been amended and added in Law Number 20 of 2021 concerning the eradication of criminal acts of corruption, Juncto Article 55 paragraph (1), Article 64 of the Criminal Code which is suspected by the Public Prosecutor of the Prabumulih District Attorney against the defendants.

After hearing the verdict of the panel of judges, the three defendants expressed their thoughts to appeal.

Previously, the Public Prosecutor of the Prabumulih District Attorney in the trial, Friday (5/5) explained that the defendant Herman Julaidi together with Iqbal Rivana and Iin Susanti, who at that time as chairman and member of the Prabumulih City Election Supervisory Body, had committed acts against the law together, such as the articles charged.

The actions referred to by the prosecutor include the defendants making requests and receiving grants in 2017-2018 for personal gain.

Then, the three defendants also approved and signed a report on the use of grant funds in 2017-2018 at the Prabumulih City Election Supervisory Committee which did not match the designation as stated in the regional grant agreement (NPHD) script.

Based on the expert calculation from the South Sumatra BPKP on the actions of the defendants, it was found that it had caused state losses of Rp. 1.8 billion. Meanwhile, the total grant funds received by Bawaslu Prabumulih from the Regional Budget of the Prabumulih City Government in 2017-2018 were Rp. 5.7 billion.

The prosecutor said the defendant's actions did not support the government's program to eradicate corruption and had injured public trust into burdensome considerations.