Indonesian Corruption Watch immediately criticized the four year and 10 month prison term handed down to Muhammad Nazaruddin on Friday, saying it was far too low for such a high-profile graft convict.

Emerson Yuntho of the ICW said the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court should have jailed the former Democratic Party treasurer for seven years, as demanded by prosecutors, or more.

"According to ICW's records, there are many cases where convicts get sentences higher than those demanded by prosecutors [at the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court]," Emerson told the Jakarta Globe.

"But, the judges [trying Nazaruddin] seem to simply follow the habit of most other judges, namely handing down a sentence that is only two-thirds of the prosecutors' demand."

The panel of judges presided over by Dharmawati Ningsih said during the Friday hearing that Nazaruddin was proven guilty of receiving five checks worth Rp 4.6 billion ($501,400) in bribes to award firm Duta Graha Indah with the construction project of an athletes' village for the 2011 SEA Games in Palembang, South Sumatra.

The judges, in delivering the verdict, said that mitigating factors that lessened the sentence were that Nazaruddin had never been convicted of a crime previously, he had a family to take care of and he was young and could be rehabilitated.

The ICW demanded that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) quickly continue with other cases involving Nazaruddin. "And the KPK should have no doubt now about following-up names that Nazaruddin has implicated during his trial," Emerson said. (JG/BeritaSatu)