The court’s judge panel also found Ali guilty of accepting gratuities totaling Rp 8.7 billion (US$609,000). The amount was lower than that stipulated in the prosecutor’s sentence demand, which reached Rp 9.8 billion and $80,000.

In a verdict delivered on Monday, the judges also ordered Rochmadi and Ali to pay Rp 200 million and Rp 250 million, respectively, in fines, as reported by Antara news agency.

The bench found both auditors guilty of accepting bribes amounting to Rp 240 million from former Villages, Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Ministry high ranking officials Sugito and Jarot Budi Prabowo. The bribes were given by the officials in their efforts to secure an “unqualified” opinion – the highest audit level – for the ministry’s 2016 budget report.

Rochmadi was also found guilty of conducting passive money laundering for accepting a car from Ali, who bought the car using money he obtained from corruption between 2014 and 2017.

The judges, however, ruled out the KPK’s indictments against Rochmadi that the auditor had allegedly received gratuities totaling Rp 1.7 billion and actively laundered money he received from illicit practices.

Antigraft body prosecutors said they would file an appeal against the verdict, while both defendants stated they would think first about the matter. (kuk/ebf)

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