The TPPU Ex-Regent Of Hulu Sungai Tengah Abdul Latif Session Continued To The Evidence Stage, KPK Prosecutors Prepared 90 Witnesses

The defendant Abdul Latif attended a virtual trial at the Banjarmasin Corruption Court, Wednesday (1/2/2023). (ANTARA/Firman)

The panel of judges rejected the exception filed by the defendant Abdul Latif as the former Regent of Hulu Sungai Tengah (HST) at the interim trial in the case of gratification and money laundering (TPPU).

"The indictment of the public prosecutor can be used as a basis for examining and adjudicating the defendant's case," said Chief Judge Jamser Simanjuntak during a trial at the Banjarmasin Corruption Court, South Kalimantan (Kalsel), Wednesday, February 1.

The rejection of the objection of the defendant Abdul Latif, the judge decided to continue the trial to the evidentiary stage with the agenda of examining witnesses on Wednesday, February 8.

The KPK Public Prosecutor has prepared 90 witnesses. The witnesses consisted of 45 witnesses in cases of alleged gratification and 45 other TPPU cases.

"For next week, we will present seven witnesses," said the KPK prosecutor team, Hari, as quoted by Antara.

Latif, who is currently a prisoner in Sukamiskin Prison, West Java, was previously charged with receiving gratuities and conducting money laundering offenses.

The KPK prosecutor charged Latif with having received gratuities of Rp41.5 billion from a number of agencies in HST during his tenure as regent from 2016 to 2017.

For this action, Latif was charged with Article 12 B in conjunction with Article 18 of the Corruption Crime Law concerning gratuities.

In addition, Latif was also charged with having committed money laundering offenses by depositing through banks, purchasing securities or bonds, land, houses, including motorized vehicles with a total of IDR 34.2 billion.

The KPK had previously been convicted in a bribery case with a sentence of six years in prison and a fine of Rp. 300 million, subsidiary to three months in prison, and his political rights were revoked for three years for accepting bribes of Rp. 3.6 billion related to the construction of a treatment room at Damahuri Barabai Hospital.

The sentence was increased at the appeal level by the DKI Jakarta High Court, which was sentenced to seven years in prison and a fine of Rp. 300, subsidiary to three months in prison.

At the level of cassation, Abdul Latif's sentence was added with the obligation to pay compensation of Rp1.8 billion, while prison sentences, fines, and revocation of political rights remained at the level of appeal.