Prosecutor Cirus Sinaga gets 5 years in jail

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Tue, 10/25/2011 12:40 PM

Jakarta Corruption Court judges have found prosecutor Cirus Sinaga guilty of obstructing the course of justice and sentenced him to five years' imprisonment, with a fine of Rp 150 million (US$16,950) or an extra three months in prison.

“We find defendant Cirus Sinaga officially and convincingly guilty of indirectly obstructing the investigation, prosecution and court hearing of a corruption case,” chief judge Albertina Ho said in court on Tuesday as quoted by tempointeraktif.com.

The sentence is slightly less than the prosecutors' demand for six years' imprisonment and Rp 150 million in fines.

Cirus made headlines last year when notorious former tax officer Gayus Tambunan, who is serving a prison sentence of his own and who was on trial for multiple other charges, announced that he had paid Cirus a $50,000 bribe to drop the graft charges against him.

Gayus court statement to corner Judicial Task Force: Prosecutor

Mariel Grazella, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 01/22/2011 8:46 AM | Headlines

Vice-Attorney General Darmono says that statements made by tax graft convict Gayus H. Tambunan were aimed to corner the Judicial Mafia Taskforce.

"I observe that there have been efforts in that direction," he said on Friday.

He added that the AGO had clarified to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono allegations made by Gayus.

Gayus claimed that law enforcers were reluctant to legally process prosecutor Cirus Sinaga out of fear that Cirus would reveal "the truth" behind the case of convicted former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chairman Antasari Azhar.

"We have said that what Gayus delivered in court is all untrue," he added. "We have delivered the facts and evidence [related to the allegations]."