T

he Jakarta Corruption Court on Tuesday sentenced the former president director of meat import firm PT Indoguna Utama, Maria Elizabeth Liman, to 27 months in prison for bribing the former chairman of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), Luthfi Hasan Ishaaq.

A panel of judges at the court found Maria guilty of paying a Rp 1.3 billion (US$112,676) bribe to Luthfi through middleman Ahmad Fathanah '€” who was earlier convicted together with Luthfi '€” so that the then party chairman would use his influence to press Agriculture Minister Suswono, a PKS politician, to increase the beef import quota for Indoguna.

'€œThe defendant was found guilty of corruption together with other parties in the case,'€ presiding judge Purwono Edi Santosa said in his verdict, referring to others who have been previously sentenced.

The prison term was less than the four-and-a-half years demanded by Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) prosecutors.

The court also ordered the businesswoman to pay Rp 100 million in restitution, less than the Rp 200 million demanded by prosecutors.

The court hearing revealed that Maria did not act alone in the bribery scheme. The Rp 1.3 billion bribe, which was part of Rp 40 billion pledged by Indoguna if Luthfi managed to increase Indoguna'€™s beef import quota to 10,000 tons, was given to Fathanah by Elda Devianne Adiningrat, also a go-between in the scheme.

The KPK earlier said that it was building a case against Elda, who has yet to be indicted.

'€œThe investigation into the beef case has not stopped,'€ KPK spokesman Johan Budi said, adding that evidence collected by prosecutors for Maria'€™s trial could be used against Elda.

Johan refused to disclose the progress of the KPK'€™s investigation into Elda, but said that it is highly unlikely that the KPK could prosecute her in the case as she also is currently being investigated as a suspect in two separate graft cases related to the Agriculture Ministry, currently being handled by the Attorney General'€™s Office (AGO).

A law enforcement agency cannot prosecute any citizen who is being investigated as a suspect by another law enforcement institution.

The only possible way the KPK can prosecute Elda in the beef case is if the AGO hands over the two cases involving her to the antigraft body, which would mean that the KPK would investigate Elda in three separate graft case at once.

In November 2013, the Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced Fathanah to 14 years behind bars, but the Jakarta High Court later increased the term to the 16 years demanded by KPK prosecutors.

Later, in December, Luthfi was sentenced to 16 years for his role in the case. In April 2014, the Jakarta High Court upheld his sentence of 16 years, two years less than the 18 years sought by KPK prosecutors.

Prior to Luthfi and Fathanah'€™s sentences, the Jakarta Corruption Court also sentenced two Indoguna directors, Juard Effendi and Arya Abdi Effendi, for their roles in the case.

The two received the same sentences that the Jakarta Corruption Court handed down to Maria '€” two years and three months behind bars.

During the trial of Juard and Arya, several witnesses told the court that Indoguna had promised to donate money to the PKS if the party helped it secure a license to import more beef.

The party denied the allegation, saying that it did not accept donations from outsiders and collected enough money from its members to fund its operations.

The notorious graft case has hit the Islamic party hard, as many of its politicians have come under scrutiny from the KPK for their alleged roles in the case, including chief patron Hilmi Aminuddin and current chairman Anis Matta.