SP/Novianti Setuningsih – The Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court sentenced Insp. Gen. Djoko Susilo to 10 years in prison and confiscated most of the two-star police general's Rp 200 billion ($18 million) in illicit assets in a verdict heralded as a potentially vital step in the nation's fight against endemic corruption on Tuesday.
Djoko was declared guilty of corruption and money laundering by a panel of five judges after a marathon three-hour reading of the nearly 3,000 page indictment detailing his involvement in a graft-tainted driving simulator procurement project that cost the state some Rp 121 billion in losses. He was ordered to pay Rp 500 million in fines or face an additional six months in prison.
The sentence was less than the 18 years in prison and Rp 1 billion in fines requested by prosecutors. Prosecutors had also demanded that he return Rp 32 billion to the state – the same amount as his alleged bribe.
Prosecutors charged Djoko with money laundering in an effort to confiscate the Rp 200 billion in assets the former National Police Traffic Corps. chief accumulated during his tenure as a police officer.
The implementation of the little-used law was championed as a milestone in the increasingly bold Corruption Eradication Commission's (KPK) uphill fight against graft in a country routinely ranked as one of the most corrupt nations on earth.
Indonesia has historically struggled to stem the flow of illicit money in a nation where corruption has permeated all levels of society, from public school teachers to senior members of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's ruling party.
Corruption charges brought against prominent officials, especially ranking police officers, rarely result in serious jail time or the confiscation of graft funds. The system, instead, allowed corrupt officials to serve short prison sentences without fear of losing the very funds they were convicted of stealing.
The money laundering charge, which allows the prosecution to seize a graft suspect's illegal wealth, represents a step forward for the KPK. Most of Djoko's assets – more than 30 properties and seven cars – will be seized. The deeds to four properties, and two marriage certificates, will be returned, the court ruled. The remaining properties and seven vehicles will remain the property of the state.
Djoko's attorney Juniver Girsang said his client planned to file an immediate appeal in a televised press conference from the courthouse. Another lawyer, Teuku Nasrullah, told MetroTV that the defense took exception with several of the facts forming the foundation of the charges.
Indonesia Corruption Watch campaigner Tama S. Langkun urged the KPK to file an appeal. "He was a law enforcer, his punishments should have been harsher that civilian corruptors," he said. "And his political rights must definitely be revoked to prevent people like him running in the future legislative election, I can't imagine what's going to happen to this country if a person like him became a lawmaker," he said.
The KPK may appeal the verdict, KPK Deputy Chief Bambang Widjojanto said in a short televised press conference.
"The KPK thinks the sentence is debatable but we respect the decision and we are going to use the seven days given by the court to think it over Because we think the verdict isn't momentous enough," Bambang said.
"The legal construction of the prosecutors' demands was really good, but the result has not managed to accommodate everyone's wishes. We are grateful for the public's attention to this case. The public's attention has helped [us] guide this case to the end."
The case was closely watched by legal observers and anti-corruption activists as a litmus test for future graft cases, including the ongoing investigation into several public officials implicated in a scandal centered on the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources and state oil and gas regulator SKKMigas.
Investigators are currently comparing the official wealth report and bank accounts of Waryono Karyo, the secretary general of the energy ministry, with the combined wealth of all assets that can be traced back to him.