Banda Aceh District Court Judge Sentenced Free Corruption Defendant Market Retribution

The trial of corruption in market levies at the Corruption Court at the Banda Aceh District Court in Banda Aceh, Thursday (27/6/2024. ANTARA/M Haris SA

The panel of judges at the Corruption Court at the Banda Aceh District Court acquitted an Aceh Besar District Government official who was accused of corruption in the market levy because he was not proven guilty.

The verdict or acquittal was read out by the panel of judges chaired by Hamzah Sulaiman accompanied by Harmi Jaya and Saptica Handini, as member judges, at the Corruption Court trial at the Banda Aceh District Court in Banda Aceh, Thursday, June 27.

The defendant, on behalf of Muslims, serves as Head of Trade for the Cooperatives of Small and Medium Enterprises and Trade in Aceh Besar District. The defendant is also the Head of the Market Task Force for the Department of Small and Medium Enterprises Cooperatives and Trade in Aceh Besar Districts in 2020 and 2021.

The panel of judges stated that the facts and statements of witnesses at the trial did not find anything to prove that the defendant committed a criminal act of market retribution in Aceh Besar District as charged by the public prosecutor.

"Declaring that the defendant is not legally and convincingly proven guilty as charged by the public prosecutor. Frees the defendants from all charges by the public prosecutor," said the panel of judges.

At the previous trial, Public Prosecutor (JPU) Wira Fadillah and friends from the Aceh Besar District Attorney, charged the Muslim defendant with 6 years and 6 months in prison.

According to the prosecutor, the defendant was found guilty of committing a criminal act of corruption in the market levy in Aceh Besar District which caused state losses of Rp545.18 million.

In addition to demanding imprisonment, the Public Prosecutor demanded that he pay a fine of Rp. 200 million, subsidiary to six months in prison. As well as demanding to pay compensation for state losses of Rp. 545.18 million with the condition that if you do not pay, you will be sentenced to three years in prison.

"The defendant's actions violated Article 2 Paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 18 Paragraph (1) letters a, b Paragraph (2), Paragraph (3) of Law Number 31 of 1999 which was changed to Law Number 20 of 2001 concerning the eradication of criminal acts of corruption," he said.

The prosecutor in his indictment stated that the Muslim defendants in the period from July 2020 to December 2021 committed a criminal act of corruption in the Lambaro Market levy, Want Jaya District, and Keutapang Market, Darul Imang District.

The defendant, said the prosecutor, ordered witnesses MS, MH, KH, and MN to quote levies ranging from Rp. 3,000 to Rp. 8,000 per loss every day. In addition, the defendant also quoted parking fees, market toilets, and others.

After quoting, the defendant did not deposit the money from the quote into the regional treasury based on the applicable laws and regulations.

"Based on the results of the calculation of the Aceh State Finance and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP), the state losses caused by the defendant's actions reached Rp545.18 million," said the Public Prosecutor.