Businessman Anggoro Widjojo Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison

Jakarta. The Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court sentenced businessman Anggoro Widjojo to five years in prison on Wednesday after he was found guilty of bribing officials in a radio-equipment graft case that also implicated former forestry minister M.S. Kaban.

“We declare the defendant Anggoro has been found guilty of corruption,” presiding judge Nani Indrawati told the court on Wednesday.

The judges stated that Anggoro had given more than Rp 210 million ($18,000), as well as S$92,000 and $20,000 to several officials including former lawmaker Yusuf Erwin Faishal who served as the head of Commission IV of the House of Representatives overseeing  agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

Anggoro also gave the money to Kaban and two other Forestry Ministry officials, Boen Purnama and Wandoyo.

The panel of judges also ordered Anggoro to pay a Rp250 million fine or face an additional two months’ imprisonment.

Anggoro fled to China in 2008, just before he was named a bribery suspect, and was caught at a checkpoint earlier this year in the city of Shenzen.

The former owner of Masaro Radikom, a communications equipment supplier, was named a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in June of 2009 for allegedly bribing several public officials and lawmakers to allow the radio equipment firm to renew a government procurement contract in 2007, although a similar project — also involving Masaro — had been halted in 2004.

By SP/Novianti Setuningsih on 09:08 pm Jul 02, 2014