I

t was heartening to see the Corruption Court sentence businessman Ahmad Fathanah to 14 years in jail on Monday, as the case divulged the conspiracy between business and politics that has continued unabated despite the much vaunted fight against corruption, collusion and nepotism the nation waged back in 1998.

The court found Fathanah guilty of collaborating with former chairman of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) and House of Representatives lawmaker Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq in helping a beef import company highten its import quota from the Agriculture Ministry. Luthfi is waiting for judgment day, but the verdict of his long-time friend Fathanah clearly demonstrated how a state official misused his mandate to perpetuate the rent seeking practice in the country.

The panel of judges convicted Fathanah of receiving Rp 1.3 billion (US$118,000) in bribes from PT Indoguna Utama for his service. The company allegedly promised to pay Luthfi Rp 40 billion for his aid.

The judges also discovered Fathanah received Rp 38.7 billion, including from Makassar Mayor Ilham Arief Sirajuddin, but found no solid evidence to verify the cash was a result of illicit acts, therefore spared him from money laundering charges. Regarding Arief'€™s payment worth Rp 7 billion to Fathanah as a liaison between the mayor, who was contesting the South Sulawesi gubernatorial election back in 2012, and the PKS, the panel of judges considered the gift commonplace in democracy.

The judges have limitations to push for a separate investigation into the '€œmoney politics'€ case as indeed the practice is not outlawed here. Nevertheless, the trial of Fathanah was blatant proof that political support has a price and that is where fraud that has implicated many regional leaders begins. They will seek every avenue, including through budget misuse, to make sure their investment gets a return.

Fathanah is just a piece in the big puzzle that the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has found. The antigraft body must and has tried hard to collect more pieces to show the public a bigger picture of political corruption, how systematic it works and who benefits from it.

As far as the court hearing is concerned, the Fathanah case has clearly entangle a number of PKS top figures, including its powerful chief patron Hilmi Aminuddin and Agriculture Minister Suswono, but there has been no sign, at least until now, that the KPK will move against them.

Of course it will be unfair if the KPK gets tough with the Muslim-based party but fails to follow up court findings related directly or indirectly to the beef import scandal, including the role of another player identified as Bunda Putri, who Luthfi said was close to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono'€™s inner circle.

Many would expect to see a domino effect of the conviction of Fathanah, but given the acute shortage of human resources the KPK is facing, it is unlikely the hope will come true. KPK'€™s backlog of cases are mounting while new findings keep coming in.

Our support and confidence in the KPK, however, will always be consistent.