JAKARTA (Yosefardi) – Anas Urbaningrum, graft defendant and former Chairman of President SBY’s Democratic Party, goes on verdict trial Wednesday (September 24) noon at the Jakarta Corruption Court, charged with 15 years in jail for receiving gratifications and committing money laundering acts related to several government projects, including the Hambalang sport center.
The verdict trial is expected to start at 1:00 pm of Jakarta time. Haswandi will act as a presided judge.
Haswandi is earlier known as presided judge that charged a light sentence for Andi Alfian Mallarangeng (former Minister of Youth & Sports and former Democratic Party politician) and Teuku Bagus Muhammad Noor (Director of state-owned construction firm PT Adhi Karya Tbk), two other suspects in Hambalang graft case.
Haswandi only dropped 4 years and 4.5 years jail sentence to Andi Mallarangeng and Muhammad Noor respectively, lighter than demanded by prosecutor from the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
Commenting to Anas’ verdict trial, KPK Deputy Chief Adnan Pandu Praja hopes that this time panel of judges presided by Haswandi will drop maximum punishment to Anas as demanded by the KPK.
As reported earlier, the KPK’s prosecutor team has demanded panel of judges to drop 15 years jail sentence to Anas Urbaningrum. KPK’s prosecutor team also demanded panel of judges to order Anas to pay Rp500 million in fine or serve additional five months jail term.
Anas is also ordered to pay Rp94.180 billion and US$5.261 million in restitution to the state losses. In case, Anas failed to pay the restitution, KPK asked panel of judges to drop additional 4 years jail term to Anas and to give authority to the KPK to confiscate Anas’ wealth.
Furthermore, KPK’s prosecutor also demanded panel of judges to revoke Anas’ rights to be elected for public position in the country as the prosecutor team, in Anas’ indictment, mentioned that Anas has collected bribe and graft money in order to finance his 2014 presidential bid.
Anas, meanwhile, in his defense pleas (pledoi), asked panel of judges to release him from all charges. Anas also asked the KPK to summon President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) and his youngest son, Edhie Baskoro Yudhoyono aka Ibas, in their capacity as Chairman and Secretary General of Democratic Party respectively, for a questioning related to the further investigation into the allegation of fund flowing from several government projects into Democratic Party’s congress back in 2010. (haryantos@yosefardi.biz)