Dodi Abdul Kadir, lawyer for the disgraced business tycoon Siti Hartati Murdaya, said he had asked judges at the Jakarta Corruption Court to free his client. He claimed the Corruption Eradication Commission’s (KPK) charge of bribery against the regent of Buol in Central Sulawesi, Amran Batalipu had not been proven.
Speaking to journalists in Jakarta on Monday, Dodi said that in the indictment prosecutors accused Hartati of paying Rp 3 billion (US$312,000) in bribes to Amran to expedite a permit for a 4,500 hectare plot for PT Hardaya Inti Plantation (PT HIP), her oil palm plantation company in Buol, Central Sulawesi.
Dodi alleges that PT HIP did not require a new license due to the fact that the current license, issued in 1994, remained valid.
“Bu Hartati’s oil palm plantations acquired all licenses in 1994 and those licenses are still valid. There is no need for her to seek new permits. Therefore, she has no motive to bribe an official,” said Dodi as quoted by Antara news wire. (ebf)
This article originally appeared on thejakartapost
