Indonesia’s Jakarta Corruption Court has sentenced former agriculture minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo to a decade in prison on graft charges, local media The Jakarta Post reported. Judge Rianto Adam Pontoh also imposed a fine and ordered Limpo to pay approximately 300 million rupiah in fines and an additional 14.6 billion rupiah as compensation.
The court convicted Limpo for misappropriating public funds, with the judge noting that his actions were contrary to the government’s ongoing anti-corruption efforts. Judge Pontoh stated that Limpo had extorted over 44 billion rupiah from agriculture ministry officials, directing the funds towards personal expenses including luxury apartments, private jets, and contributions to his political party.
Limpo has denied all wrongdoing, arguing that the verdict stemmed from political persecution and manipulated public opinion. He claimed that his subordinates, Muhammad Hatta and Kasdi Subagyono, did not raise any concerns about collecting the funds at the time. Both subordinates received four-year prison sentences for their involvement.
If Limpo fails to pay the fine, he faces an additional four-month imprisonment. He has seven days to appeal the conviction.
Transparency International currently ranks Indonesia 115 out of 180 nations on the Corruption Perception Index. The nation has faced several high-profile corruption cases, including the recent identification of the Chairman of Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Firli Bahuri, as a suspect in an alleged extortion case involving Limpo. Furthermore, the former chief justice of the country’s constitutional court was arrested in 2013 for allegedly accepting significant bribes.