7 Years In Prison Sentence Of Village Fund Corruptors In Seram Regency, Maluku

Court illustration (ANTARA)

AMBON - The panel of judges at the Corruption Court at the Ambon District Court has sentenced Alberth Kapitan to seven years in prison, the defendant to corruption in village funds and the allocation of village funds for the 2018-2019 fiscal year.

"Declaring that the defendant is legally and convincingly guilty of violating Article 3 of the Republic of Indonesia Law Number 20 of 2001 concerning Amendments to the Republic of Indonesia Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption," said Chairman of the Panel of Judges at the Corruption Court, Lutfi Alzagladi, quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, June 13.

The defendant Alberth Kapitan, who is a former Acting Head of Huku Kecil Village, Elpaputi District, West Seram Regency, was also sentenced to pay a fine of Rp. 200 million, subsidiary to two months in prison and compensation for state losses of Rp. 2.127 billion, subsidiary to two years in prison.

"This Rp2.127 billion replacement money is deducted by Rp10 million which has been deposited with investigators so that the remaining Rp2.117 billion," said the panel of judges in their decision.

The judge said that the aggravating things for the defendant were sentenced to seven years in prison and paid a replacement money fine for not supporting the government's program in eradicating corruption and his actions had caused state financial losses.

While the mitigating factor is that the defendant was polite in the trial, had never been convicted, and was old.

The judge's decision was still lighter than the demands of the West Seram District Prosecutor's Office, Sudarmono Tuhulele and Raimond Chrisna Noya, who demanded that the defendant be sentenced to seven years and six months in prison.

The defendant was also demanded to pay a fine of Rp. 200 million, subsidiary to four months in prison and a fine of Rp. 2.127 billion, subsidiary to two years in prison.

The former Acting Village Head of Huku Kecil is suspected of making an accountability report on the use of village funds and the allocation of fictitious village funds because they do not match conditions in the field.

Based on this decision, both the Public Prosecutor and the defendant through their legal advisor, Yunan Takaendengan, expressed his thoughts so that the panel of judges gave the opportunity for seven days to state their position.