Indonesian prosecutors demanded four-year jail term for Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's relative in connection with a scandal of embezzling over 100 billion rupiah (some 93 million U.S. dollars) of central bank funds, local media reported Saturday.
Aulia Pohan, the former deputy of Indonesia's central bank, stood trial along with three other former top officials of the bank at the anti-graft court in Kuningan of South Jakarta, according to a report of the Jakartaglobe, Xinhua reported.
Pohan's trial has deflected public accusation on President Susilo's administration in combating rampant corruption.
"The defendants' actions have caused substantial losses to the state," Rudi Margono, a Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutor was quoted by the report as saying.
Pohan's lawyer Otto Cornelis Kaligis insisted, after the hearing, that Pohan should be freed. "The demand is four years in prison out of the maximum 20 so we got a 16-year discount," Kaligis said jokingly. "It's not whether the demand is severe or not. My client is innocent," he said.
Pohan's daughter is married to Susilo's eldest son. She was present at the court session.
The trial is believed to be good for the popularity of the president who is eligible for re-elect at the presidential poll on July 8.
The court on Oct. 29 last year declared that Aulia Pohan and the three former bankers allegedly violated the law by disbursing over-100-billion-rupiah funds from the bank to pay legal cost five former senior officials of the bank implicated in the bank liquidity support graft case and to bribe lawmakers to speed up amendment of the bank law.
Indonesia, which is struggling to improve investment climate, has been seriously combating corruption in the country, which has disturbed foreign investors.
Scores of people, from officials to former ministers and active central bank governors, have been jailed and undergone legal process for corruption charges in the country.