A former Indonesian agriculture minister, Syahrul Yasin Limpo, 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.
According to AFP news agency, Limpo was found guilty of misappropriating more than $900,000 of public funds last Thursday. The Jakarta Corruption Court determined that the Nasdem Party politician had ordered ministry officials to funnel money from state coffers for his personal use, including expenses such as jewelry and beauty treatments for his wife. The court also ordered Limpo to repay the misappropriated funds or face asset seizure.
“The defendant has legally and convincingly been proven guilty of corruption,” stated presiding Judge Rianto Adam Pontoh, as reported by AP. “He wasn’t a good example as a public official; his actions countered the government’s efforts to fight corruption and enriched himself through corruption.”
The 69-year-old was also fined $19,000, with an additional four months of jail time if the fine is not paid. Limpo was arrested last October by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and denied wrongdoing.
During the trial, Limpo claimed he was the victim of political persecution and slandered by subordinates fearful of losing their positions. However, several ministry officials testified that secretariats, directorates general, and agencies within the ministry were required to surrender 20 percent of their budgets to Limpo under threat of job loss. Vendors and suppliers were similarly coerced to meet his demands.
The court heard that Limpo used the funds for luxurious cars, gifts, apartments, private jets, family gatherings, and religious observances. Additionally, the bribes funded humanitarian aid for disaster victims and supported his Nasdem political party.
Prosecutors, who sought a 12-year imprisonment for Limpo, stated that the politician accepted 44.7 billion rupiah ($2.7 million) between January 2020 and October 2023.
