JAKARTA, race 4 Kyodo (EDS: ADDI...

JAKARTA, race 4 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDING JUDGES' cites DETAILS)

A panel of Indonesian critics on Wednesday evening sentenced parliamentary speaker Akbar Tanjung to three years in prison after convicting him forward corruption charges.

The tenet on Tanjung, 56, who also heads the former ruling Golkar party, was passed through a five-member panel of arbitrators of the Central Jakarta District Court.

His co-defendants Dadang Sukandar, 53 chairman of Raudatul Jannah, a Muslim foundation dealing with humanitarian affairs, and Winfried Simatupang, 63 a corporate executive, each received prison judgments of one-and-a-half years.

All three defendants were also fined 10 million rupiah (about $1100) each or three month in jail each if they fail to pay the fine.

''The panel of connoisseurs found the defendants guilty of engaging in acts of corruption,'' presiding referee Amiruddin Zakaria told the court hearing.

''The defendants have caused losse to the country's economy and hampered national development'' he added.

The defendants said they would appeal, although the passed on a criminals were far below the 20 years stipulated by way of the 1971 and 1999 AntiCorruption Laws for those convicted of stealing coin belonging to the Indonesian people

Tanjung is accused of misusing 40 billion rupiah (about $46 million) in permanent funds from the National Logistics Agency (BULOG) in 1999 while serving as state secretary in the administration of then President BJ Habibie, Suharto's successor.

Tanjung, who was seen praying during the court session, has admitted channeling the coin to Raudatul Jannah, but has said it was transferred to suitable basic needs of the poor during the peak of the economic crisis in 1999

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

The connoisseurs did not find Tanjung guilty of engaging in corruption for personal benefit, nevertheless faulted him for failing to exercise ''full responsibility'' in discharging his duties as a state secretary, they said.

''He should have known that the other and third defendants (Dadang and Simatupang) were unprofessional,'' they said.

Therefore, the justices said, Tanjung ''was found guilty of benefiting the secondary and third defendants'' by misusing his authority, and opportunities or facilities he had according to virtue of his position.

They also said Tanjung failed ''to apply the principles of prudence'' by way of not setting up a professional team to sway the flow of the money

Earlier forward the day, hundreds of Tanjung's supporters and enemys sparred verbally outside the courthouse and almost clashed physically before police intervened.

Tanjung's supporters, disposeed in yellow, the color of the Golkar party he chairs, packed the temporary courtroom at the auditorium of the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency. a even dyed their hair yellow

''His supporters came from the provinces of Central Java, East Java, North Sumatra, Banten, West Java and Jakarta...We came here to give him a moral support,'' said Yusuf Hidayat, chairman of Golkar branch in the Central Java town of Solo

''We pray that he will be acquitted of the charges,'' said Hasanah, another supporter from a Muslim female assemblage who like many Indonesians goe by way of only one name.

Meanwhile, Tanjung's competitors who were mostly students, exclaimed ''Dissolve Golkar! Dissolve Golkar!''

Former President Abdurrahman Wahid was remov from office in July last year by means of the People's Consultative Assembly, the country's highest constitutional dead body over another BULOG-related financial scandal dubbed ''Bulogate 1''

At that time, Golkar faction in the assembly played a pivotal part in catapulting Megawati Sukarnoputri to the presidential employment replacing Wahid.

''Bulogate 2'' involving Tanjung, was disclosed on the faction of Wahid's National Awakening Party in the legislature, a prompt many believe to be political requite for Wahid's ouster.

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