A former Indonesian agriculture minister was sentenced to 10 years in prison last week after Indonesia’s anti-graft court found him guilty of corruption-related extortion, abuse of power and bribery involving ministry contracts with private vendors.
Syahrul Yasin Limpo. Image: Wikipedia Commons.
The AFP news agency has reported that former Indonesian agriculture minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo was jailed for 10 years last Thursday after he was found guilty of misappropriating more than $900,000 of public funds.
The Jakarta Corruption Court found the Nasdem Party politician guilty of ordering officials in his ministry to send him money from state coffers, some of which was used for his personal expenses, the AFP report said.
Judges found he had spent more than $900,000 on personal expenses, including jewelry and beauty treatments for his wife. Syahrul was ordered to repay the funds or have his assets seized by the court.
“The defendant has legally and convincingly been proven guilty of corruption,” presiding Judge Rianto Adam Pontoh said according to an AP report. “He wasn’t a good example as a public official, what he has done is counter the government’s efforts to fight corruption and enriched himself by corruption.”
The 69-year-old was also ordered to pay a $19,000 fine or face four months of additional jail time.
Limpo had been arrested last October by the Corruption Eradication Commission, known as the KPK. He has denied wrongdoing.
During the trial, Limpo said he was the victim of political persecution and felt that he had been slandered by his subordinates in his ministry who fears of being replaced or removed from their position.
The AP news agency reported that several ministry officials testified during the trial that secretariats, directorates general and agencies within the ministry was required to give up 20 percent of their budgets to Limpo, as though they were indebted to him, and he threated their jobs if they rejected his demands. Vendors and suppliers were also asked to set aside money to fulfill the then-minister’s demands, the trial revealed.
The court was told Limpo used the money on luxurious cars, gifts and apartments, charter private jets, family parties and gatherings, and for religious observances and pilgrimages. Limpo also used the bribes to disburse humanitarian aid for disaster victims and to his Nasdem political party.
Prosecutors, who sought 12 years imprisonment for Limpo, said the politician accepted a total of 44.7 billion rupiah ($2.7 million) between January 2020 and October 2023.
