Irawaty Wardany, Jakarta – Two more former Bank Indonesia officials were convicted Wednesday in the embezzlement of Rp 100 billion (US$8.8 million) from BI funds in 2003.

The Corruption Court sentenced former BI legal bureau chief Oey Hoey Tiong and former BI governor bureau chief Rusli Simanjuntak to four years in prison each and fined them Rp 200 million each for "committing collective corruption".

Prosecutors had sought a sentence of six years for the two defendants for their roles in distributing misappropriated BI Indonesian Banking Development Foundation (YPPI) money to five former BI officials faced with criminal charges and to House of Representatives legislators.

Presiding judge Moefri said his panel had reduced the sentences because the defendants had not personally benefited from the money and had returned some of it to investigators.

The same court sentenced on Oct. 30 former BI governor Burhanuddin Abdullah to five years in jail for approving the disbursement of the BI funds.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has named Burhanuddin's former deputies Aulia Pohan, Maman Soemantri, Bun Bunan Hutapea and Aslim Tadjuddin suspects in the case although they are yet to stand trial.

Aulia is the father-in-law of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's eldest son.

The case concerns the disbursement of the BI funds to finance legal defense for five former BI senior officials implicated in a BI liquidity support (BLBI) graft case and to bribe members of the then House Commission IX overseeing financial and banking affairs to expedite the passage of an amendment to the BI law.

The BI board of governors ordered the payment of the funds in two meetings, on June 3 and July 22, 2003.

Also implicated in the graft case are politicians Hamka Yandhu and Anthony Zeidra Abidin, who are being tried separately. Hamka has told the court all of Commission IX's 52 members received a share of the BI money.

One of the five judges on the panel, Sofialdi, said Oey should be acquitted because the money used to cover the legal expenses of former BI officials had at the time been recognized as debt repayment.

"The Rp 68.5 billion distributed to five former BI directors had been claimed as debts, which were proved by debt letters and some of the money had also been returned to the foundation," Sofialdi said.

He said the rest of the money would be returned before 2011.

"It is clear the money was not intended to force someone to do something that violated their obligations," he said.