INDONESIA HOTLINE

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta. Senior state prosecutor Urip Tri Gunawan was sentenced to 20 years' imprisonment Thursday and slapped with a Rp 500 million (US$52,625) fine after being convicted of corruption.

Urip was proven guilty of violating the 2001 Corruption Law for accepting a US$660,000 bribe from Artalyta, who began serving her four-year jail term earlier this month, in exchange for
information on a graft investigation.

"We declare that defendant Urip Tri Gunawan has been legally proven guilty of violating the 2001 law on corrution. We therefore sentence (him) to 20 years in prison and a Rp 500
million fine," Presiding Judge Teguh Haryanto told the Corruption Court in Jakarta on Thursday.

Thursday's verdict heavier than what the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors had previously demanded, namely a penalty of 15 years' imprisonment and an Rp 250 million fine.

Urip was also convicted of extorting Rp 1 billion from the former chief of the now defunct Indonesian Banking Restructuring Agency, Glenn Yusuf, through his lawyer Reno Iskandarsyah.

In his capacity as a state official, Urip previously led a team at the Attorney General's Office (AGO) to investigate the embezzlement of Rp 28.4 trillion in Bank Indonesia Liquidity
Assistance (BLBI) funds involving tycoon Sjamsul Nursalim, Artalyta's close relative.

Urip was convicted of providing information to Artalyta about AGO plans to summon Sjamsul and other investigation developments. Sjamsul, former owner of the now defunct Bank Dagang Nasional Indonesia, was implicated in the embezzlement of Rp 28.4 trillion in BLBI funds.

He remains the only fraudulent debtor among 37 witnesses who managed to evade three questioning sessions about his BLBI case during the investigation.

The major bribery case also implicated at least three senior AGO officials.

They include former deputy attorney general for special crimes Kemas Yahya Rahman, former director of special criminal investigations Muhammad Salim and former deputy attorney general for state administrative affairs Untung Udji Santoso.

They were later dismissed from their respective senior positions at the AGO. (amr)