JAKARTA, April 23 (Xinhua) -- Indonesia's former social minister Idrus Marham received on Tuesday a 3-year imprisonment sentence as he was proved guilty for receiving a bribe amounting to 2.25 billion rupiah (about 169,600 U.S. dollars) from a businessman in obtaining a power plant project.
Besides the imprisonment sentence, Marham is also fined some 150 million rupiah (about 10,629 U.S. dollars), replaceable with 2 months of imprisonment should he is unable to pay the fines.
The sentence was lower than 5-year sentence and 300 million rupiah (about 21,258 U.S. dollars) of fines demanded by prosecutor in an earlier trial.
"The defendant is convincingly proved of committed in collective corruption crime," Yanto, the presiding judge read the verdict against Marham.
Marham received the bribes from the businessman, Johannes Kotjo, through Eni Maulani Saragih, former deputy chairman of Commission VII in the parliament that supervises government's policies in energy, research and environment.
In order to get the power plant project, Kotjo gave a total amount of 4.75 billion rupiah (about 336,500 U.S. dollars) to Eni, who subsequently transferred part of the bribe to Marham.
The bribe was received by Marham during his service term as social minister from January to August last year.
The power plant project was designated as part of the nation's mega energy project to add 10,000 MW of power supply across the country.
Marham was arrested by Indonesia's anti-graft commission of KPK in August shortly after he resigned from his ministerial post.
Marham was the secretary general of Golkar party, an influential political party that has significant seats in the parliament, when he served as the social minister.
Eni Maulani Saragih and Johannes Kotjo have received their sentences in the previous trials. Eni was sentenced 4 years, while Kotjo 4.5 years of imprisonment.
