JAKARTA (Yosefardi) – Panel of judges at the Jakarta Corruption Court has on Thursday (Dec. 21) sentenced Patrice Rio Capella, graft suspect and then Secretary General of Surya Paloh’s Nasdem Party, to 1.5 years in jail after found guilty of receiving bribe related to the scandal implicating the non-active Governor of North Sumatra Gatot Pujo Nugroho.

In addition, panel of judges also ordered the defendant to pay Rp50 million in fine or serving additional one month imprisonment.

The verdict, however, is lighter than the demand of the prosecutor team from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) that demanded 2 years in jail to Rio Capella.

Rio Capella has been proven guilty for receiving Rp200 million in bribe from Gatot and his wife Evy Susanti.  Said  Rp200 million in bribe was a fee for tampering the Attorney General Office’s (AGO) investigation into Gatot’s allegation of embezzling the North Sumatra provincial administration’s social assistance funds (Bansos). (haryantosuharman@yosefardi.com)