KPK to appeal pre-trial court’s decision

JAKARTA. Indonesia’s top anti-graft body has decided to appeal the decision from the South Jakarta District Court, which ordered the bureau to return a graft convict’s assets.

The court’s pre-trial panel of judges ordered the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to return the assets of judge Syarifuddin Umar on Thursday, claiming that the seized assets were not related to his case.

Syarifuddin, a graft suspect, previously complained to the panel of judges that KPK investigators had seized several of his personal belongings including a laptop and a mobile phone.

The panel has also ordered the KPK to pay Rp 100 million (US$11,000) as compensation.

Commenting on this, KPK legal bureau chief Chaidir Ramli said that his team would appeal the panel’s decision next week.

“The court stated that we [the KPK] had violated the law. Surely we will appeal this,” said Chaidir on Thursday evening, adding that his team would study the verdict thoroughly before appealing.

The KPK arrested Syarifuddin Umar at his home in Sunter, North Jakarta last year, shortly after he received Rp 250 million in bribe money in a red paper bag from Puguh Wirawan, a curator who worked for PT Skycamping Indonesia.

The Jakarta Corruption Court then sentenced him to four years in prison and ordered him to pay Rp 150 million in fines. Syarifuddin appealed the decision and is currently awaiting the Supreme Court’s ruling. (TheJakartaPost)