Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Banten
Banten prosecutors arrested eight former provincial legislative council members for their alleged involvement in a Rp 14 billion (US$1.32) corruption case in 2003.
Yunan Harjaka, special crime assistant at the prosecutor's office said the arrests were made after his team obtained enough evidence of the misuse of funds and because there were fears the suspects would escape or damage the evidence.
"We have completed the dossiers and we will soon hand the case over to Serang District Court for trial. The suspects received an average Rp 75 million each from the housing fund," he said Wednesday.
The eight former councilors are Rosyid, James Tangka, Eli Soepriyadi, Encep Daden Ibrahim, Toto Heryanto and Yahya Sanusi of the Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle (PDIP), Irsyad of the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI) and Maman Prihatna of the Star Crescent Party (PBB).
The suspects have not returned the money they took from the provincial administration's budget for councilor housing and welfare allowances.
The former councilors were initially summoned to the prosecutor's office for questioning only, but were sent to Serang prison directly after the examination was finished.
The case centers on the alleged misuse of budgetary funds under former governor Djoko Munandar. The eight councilors served during the 1999-2004 period.
More than Rp 3.5 billion was allocated to councilor activities, but they were granted an extra Rp 10.5 billion for the construction of 75 houses.
When councilors for the 2004-2009 period took office it was discovered that no housing complexes had been built.
An initial investigation into the corruption case resulted in six former councilors being sentenced in 2005 to up to four years' imprisonment.
The six former councilors jailed were Dharmono K. Lawi, a former Banten council chairman from the PDI-P; former Banten council deputy speaker Muslim Djamaludin; ousted council deputy speaker Mufrodi Muchsin; council secretary Tardian; former secretary of the council's budgetary committee Tuti Sutiah Indra; and former Banten governor Djoko Munandar.
Last year, 14 more former councilors were arrested in a different case.
The 14 councilors were accused of extorting money from the administrations budget for disaster relief.
Five of them -- Iwan Rosadi, Riril Suhartinah, Achdi Syamlani, Jhon R Maulana and Zaenal Novani -- walked free after the district court declared them innocent. The remaining nine are still serving jail terms at Serang prison.
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