Formerly Extorting Investors, Now LCC Corruption: Former West Lombok Regent Sentenced To 6 Years In Prison

The defendant in the alleged corruption case in cooperation in the use of assets for the construction of the Zaini Arony (ANTARA/Dhimas B.P.) Lombok City Center (LCC) Mall

The panel of judges at the Corruption Court (Tipikor) at the Mataram District Court sentenced the former Regent of West Lombok, Zaini Arony, to six years in prison in a corruption case in the cooperation of Lombok City Center (LCC) development operations and management in West Lombok Regency, West Nusa Tenggara.

"The defendant Zaini Arony was sentenced to six years in prison," said Chief Justice Ary Wahyu Irawan while reading the verdict at the Mataram District Court, Antara, Monday, October 13.

In addition to the prison sentence, Zaini was also sentenced to a fine of Rp. 400 million, provided that if he was not paid, he was replaced with four months in prison.

The panel of judges stated that Zaini was legally and convincingly proven to have violated Article 2 paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 20 of 2001 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) 1st of the Criminal Code.

In his consideration, the judge said Zaini was a recidivist, because he had previously served seven years in prison in a corruption case of extortion against investors while serving as Regent of West Lombok.

The judge disagreed with the results of the audit of a public accountant who stated that the state loss reached Rp39.3 billion, and determined his own calculation of Rp22.7 billion.

This value consists of Rp22.3 billion from land assets that were mortgaged to Bank Sinarmas by PTBliss Pembangunan Sejahtera, and Rp418 million from the profit sharing that was supposed to be deposited with PT Tripat in cooperation in the operations of the construction of the LCC in 2013.

For this reason, the judge decided that the assets worth Rp. 22.3 billion were confiscated for the state and returned to the West Lombok Regency Government.

Meanwhile, another defendant in the same case, totaling Tanihaha, as Director of PT Geliss Pembangunan Sejahtera, was sentenced to five years in prison and a fine of Rp. 400 million, subsidiary to four months in prison, and was required to pay compensation for state losses of Rp. 418 million.