Ex-Indonesian forestry official sentenced in graft case
Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:53 GMT
A villager stands next to a pile of wood, South Sulawesi province, Nov. 5, 2010. REUTERS/Yusuf Ahmad
By Luke Balleny
LONDON (TrustLaw) – A former official in Indonesia's forestry ministry has been sentenced to three years in prison after he was found guilty of helping a private contractor win a multi-million dollar contract between 2006 and 2007, the Jakarta Globe reported.
Wandojo Siswanto was convicted by Jakarta's Anti-Corruption Court of helping a private contractor to supply communications equipment to the ministry at inflated prices. It is estimated that the Indonesian government lost Rp 89 billion ($10.2 million) as a result of the deal.
Wandojo was also fined Rp 100 million ($11,500). Judge Sofiandi said that in sentencing Wandojo he had taken into account the fact that Wandojo had freely given back the money that he had been given for arranging the contract but that "he (Wandojo) was also the one who signed the agreements," Judge Sofiandi said.
Wandojo - who was head of planning and finance at the time of the contract - told reporters after the sentencing that he had only been following orders from the then forestry minister, Malam Sambat Kaban.
"It would be impossible for a bureau head like me to directly appoint a private company.
"All the witnesses at the court said the same thing. This is the result of me executing an order from my superior," Wandojo said.
Leave a comment:
IMPORTANT: Your comment will not appear immediately as we vet all messages before publication. We don't publish comments that are racist or otherwise offensive. Nor do we publish comments that advertise products or services. Please keep your comment concise and do not write in capitals.
Post a Comment
Post a Comment