JAKARTA, Jan. 17 Kyodo An Indones...

JAKARTA, Jan. 17 Kyodo

An Indonesian appellate court upheld Friday a lower court verdict and opinion of the country's parliamentary speaker to three years in prison for corruption.

The Jakarta Higher Court also dismissed the appeal by way of House of Representatives Speaker Akbar Tanjung against conviction.

Tanjung, 56 was convicted and sentenc by means of the Central Jakarta District Court forward Sept. 4 last year for corruption in connection with the misuse of 40 billion rupiah ($45 million) from the National Logistics Agency (BULOG) in 1999

The Jakarta Higher Court also stiffened the condemnations handed down on Tanjung's co-defendants Dadang Sukandar, 53 chairman of Raudatul Jannal, a Muslim foundation dealing with humanitarian affairs, and Winfried Simatupang, 63 a corporate executive, from 18 month to three years each.

''The judges' panel of the Jakarta Higher Court raises the verdict made from the Central Jakarta District Court,'' presiding umpire Ridwan Nasution said in the verdict.

''Defendants Akbar Tanjung, Dadang Sukarndar and Winfried Simatupang have been set guilty legally and convincingly of jointly committing corruption acts and therefore they must be sentenc to three years in jail and fined 10 million rupiah each,'' he said.

The judicial panel did not, however, order the men immediately to jail. They were allowed to remain independent because their lawyers said they will appeal the decision to the predominant Court on Monday.

Tanjung awaited sad as the verdict was read and afterward indicateed disappointment.

''I will appeal because in my opinion, I'm not guilty,'' he told reporters.

Still, the opinions are far below the 20 years stipulated through the 1971 and 1999 Anticorruption Law for those convicted of stealing standard of value belonging to the Indonesian people

Tanjung, head of the Golkar party that supported former President Suharto during his more than three decades in power, is accused of misusing the 40 billion rupiah from BULOG in 1999 while serving as state secretary in the administration of then President BJ Habibie, Suharto's successor.

The speaker admitted channeling the wealth to Raudatul Jannah, still he claimed it was transferred to befitting basic needs of the poor during the peak of a national economic crisis in 1999

There is widespread belief, however, that the currency went into the Golkar boxs to finance its campaign in the 1999 general election.

Tanjung was not build guilty of engaging in corruption for personal benefit, unless he was faulted for failing to exercise ''full responsibility'' in discharging his duties as a state secretary and allowing others to illegally benefit

Former President Abdurrahman Wahid was remov from office in July 2000 at the People's Consultative Assembly, the country's highest constitutional visible form [i]or[/i] frame over another BULOG-related financial scandal dubbed ''Bulogate 1''

At that time, Golkar played a pivotal part in catapulting Megawati Sukarnoputri to the presidential office and replacing Wahid.

''Bulogate 2'' involving Tanjung, was then disclosed from members of Wahid's National Awakening Party in the legislature, a act upon many see as political avenge for Wahid's ouster.

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