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View all search resultsEx-minister Thomas, supporters thank Prabowo for pardon
Former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan and Gerakan Rakyat mass organization chair Sahrin Hamid were among the people thanking President Prabowo Subianto for granting an abolition for former trade minister Thomas Lembong, who was convicted in a graft case pertaining to raw sugar imports.
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Former trade minister Thomas Lembong (second right) stands next to his wife Franciska Wihardya (third right) and former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan (right) while talking to journalists on Friday following his release from prison at the Salemba Detention Center in Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto granted an abolition, or the abolishment of the prosecution against a defendant, for Thomas, who was convicted in a graft case pertaining to sugar imports. (Antara/Hafidz Mubarak A.)
T
he release of graft convict Thomas Lembong, following a presidential pardon, was met with gratitude from his political allies and supporters who thanked President Prabowo Subianto for abolishing the prosecution against the former trade minister.
Prabowo requested with the House of Representatives on Thursday an abolition for Thomas, as well as amnesty for more than 1,000 convicts. The proposal was granted by the legislature, as announced by Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas, both of whom are also members of Prabowo’s Gerindra Party.
The abolition is a presidential power to throw a defendant or convict’s case out of court, abolishing the prosecution against them.
After the abolition was formalized through a presidential decree on Friday, Thomas was released from the Cipinang Detention Center in Jakarta. On Friday night, he walked out of the facility with his lawyers, his wife Maria Franciska Wihardja and former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan.
Speaking in front of the press and dozens of supporters, Thomas expressed his gratitude to Prabowo for granting the abolition, as well as the House’s leadership and members for approving it.
“This not only sets me free, but also restores my good name,” Thomas said in a live streaming of the event. “I believe what I went through was far from an ideal legal process. I have reflected on how our legal system operates, how the public responds and how the state should protect its citizens.”
Read also: Prabowo redeems PDI-P’s Hasto, Tom Lembong
