Indonesia court convicts aide of former president Megawati in blow to opposition
The Central Jakarta District Court on Friday (July 25) found Hasto Kristiyanto (pic), secretary general of Megawati's Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), guilty of bribing a former election commission official in 2019 to facilitate the replacement of a member of parliament.
Hasto was sentenced to three and a half years in prison and fined 250 million rupiah (US$15,319). The court acquitted him of a separate charge of obstructing a corruption investigation into a fugitive linked to the party.
Both parties have seven days to appeal the verdict. Prosecutors had sought a seven-year sentence.
The case has revived longstanding concerns about judicial independence in the South-East Asian democracy, particularly as other opposition-linked figures come under legal scrutiny. Last week, a vocal government critic and former trade minister was convicted in a graft case related to sugar imports.
Hasto has consistently denied wrongdoing. He said Friday that his verdict was similar to what the former minister had experienced, "where the law becomes a tool of power.'
Prosecutors previously have denied any ulterior motive in the case.
The ruling represents a setback for PDI-P, the largest party in parliament and the sole major party outside the ruling coalition of President Prabowo Subianto.
The imprisonment of a senior official could diminish the party's parliamentary influence, and prompt internal debates over whether to continue its relatively non-adversarial stance or emerge as a stronger opposition force.
Political analysts have long perceived the charges against Hasto as politically driven, in part because they stemmed from events dating back years and because of the timing of a falling-out with former President Joko Widodo.
The case originated late last year after PDI-P formally ended its alliance with Widodo for endorsing Prabowo rather than the party's own candidate in Indonesia's presidential election.
In court, Hasto had claimed he was threatened with arrest if his party went ahead with expelling Widodo.
The former president has denied any involvement in the alleged threat, telling reporters in March that there would be no point in threatening someone not to expel him.
"What would I gain? What would I lose?' he said according to local media outlet Detik News.
The verdict comes a week after Thomas Trikasih Lembong, the former trade minister and a vocal critic of both Widodo and Prabowo in recent years, was found guilty in a case related to sugar imports a decade ago. Both Lembong and prosecutors this week filed appeals in the case. - Bloomberg
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