Banda Aceh – A district court in the restive province of Aceh sentenced Tuesday the mayor of the capital, Banda Aceh, to five years in prison for embezzling more than US$386,000 in state funds.

Banda Aceh Mayor Zulkarnain was found guilty of violating anti-corruption laws. In previous court hearings, government prosecutors demanded 10 years in prison for Zulkarnain.

Presiding judge Syafruddin Nasution said in his verdict Zulkarnain had been found legally and convicingly guilty of violating anti-corruption laws that caused the state to suffer Rp3.5 billion ($386,700) in losses.

Nasution said the defendant, together with other suspects, were guilty of enriching themselves with money allocated to help improve people's welfare as part of the government's program to alleviate poverty in the province.

Besides handing down the five-year sentence, the court also ordered Zulkarnain to return the money to the government and pay a 200,000-rupiah ($22,000 dollar) fine.

Zulkarnain's case was one of a number of graft cases that have plagued Aceh.