Proven Corruption, Ex Staff Staff Of Tabanan Regent Eka Wiryastuti Sentenced To 1.5 Years In Prison

Former special staff (stafsus) of the Regent of Tabanan for the period 2016–2021 Eka Wiryastuti, I Dewa Nyoman Wiratmaja (center)/ANTARA/Fikri Yusuf

DENPASAR - The panel of judges at the Denpasar Corruption Court, Bali, Tuesday, sentenced former special staff (stafsus) of the Regent of Tabanan for the 2016-2021 period, Eka Wiryastuti, I Dewa Nyoman Wiratmaja, to 1.5 years in prison and a fine of Rp. 50 million, subsidiary to 1 month's imprisonment.

According to the panel of judges, led by I Nyoman Wiguna, Dewa Wiratmaja was proven to have bribed two former Finance Ministry officials, namely Yaya Purnomo and Rifa Surya, to manage the allocation of the Tabanan Regency Regional Incentive Fund (DID) for the 2018 Fiscal Year.

Dewa Wiratmaja's actions were proven to violate Article 5 paragraph (1) letter b of the Corruption Eradication Act in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) 1 of the Criminal Code jo. Article 64 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.

The total value of the bribes that Dewa gave to Yaya and Rifa on Eka Wiryastuti's orders at that time was Rp600 million and US$55,300 or Rp1.4 billion.

Yaya Purnomo during the Tabanan DID management case served as Head of the Section for the Development of Funding for Housing and Settlement Areas of the Ministry of Finance, while Rifa Surya at that time served as Head of the Section for Special Physical Allocation Funds II of the Ministry of Finance.

The verdict of the Denpasar Corruption Court against Dewa Wiratmaja, who is a non-active lecturer at Udayana University and a relative of Eka Wiryastuti, is lower than the prosecutor's demands.

The KPK prosecutor at the previous trial demanded that the panel of judges sentenced Dewa to 3 years 6 months in prison and a fine of Rp. 110 million or to replace him with 3 months in prison.

The sentence is lighter than the prosecutor's demand because the panel of judges considered that Dewa's act of bribing two former officials from the Ministry of Finance was not for his own benefit, but to cover the budget deficit of Tabanan Regency.

"The mitigating factors were that the defendant was polite during the trial, the defendant had never been convicted, the defendant committed this act because he felt his duty to increase the DID which was used for the development of Tabanan Regency and not for the defendant's personal interests," said judge Gede Putra Astawa during the trial.

However, several considerations that weighed against Dewa's verdict, among them his act of bribing the state civil apparatus were contrary to the government's program to eradicate corruption.

"The defendant did not admit his actions," said Gede Putra Astawa.

Dewa Wiratmaja when delivering his defense at the previous trial had denied bribing two former Ministry of Finance officials.

He also admitted that he was a victim of extortion from the two government employees.

However, the judge thought otherwise. The panel of judges in their decision stated that Dewa's act of bribing Yaya and Rifa had been proven from the evidence presented at the trial, as well as the statements of the witnesses.

"The handwriting on the USD 55,300 envelope is identical to the handwriting of the defendant in his personal defense. The handwriting is an indication of the panel of judges' belief (that there was) a handover of money for Yaya Purnomo," said the panel of judges.

The panel of judges also stated that the defendant's rebuttal had no legal basis and was not supported by any evidence, while the evidence presented by the prosecutor at the trial was mutually compatible and based on facts and valid evidence.