Had Alluded To Political Elements, Johnny G Plate Was Still Sentenced To 15 Years In Prison In The 4G BTS Corruption Case

Former Minister of Communication and Information Johnny G Plate, the defendant in the 4G BTS Kominfo case, is undergoing trial. (Between)

JAKARTA - Former Minister of Communication and Information (Menkominfo), Johnny G Plate, was found guilty in the corruption case of the 4G base transceiver station (BTS) project and supporting infrastructure 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Thus, the panel of judges sentenced him to prison during the year in prison.

"Declaring that the defendant Johnny G Plate has been legally proven and convincingly committed a criminal act of corruption. Sentencing the defendant (Johnny G Palte) for 15 years," said Chief Justice Fahzal Hendri during a trial at the Corruption Court at the Central Jakarta District Court, Wednesday, November 8.

Not only imprisonment, but Johnny G Plate was also sentenced to a fine of Rp. 1 billion, subsidiary to 6 months in prison.

Then, pay a replacement money of Rp. 15.5 billion. If you do not have the ability, you will be replaced with imprisonment for 2 years.

In the verdict, the panel of judges believes that Johnny G Plate has enriched himself, other people, or corporations that caused state losses of Rp. 8 trillion.

Thus, his actions are considered to fulfill the elements of Article 2 paragraph 1 in conjunction with Article 18 of the Corruption Eradication Law in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code.

Behind the decision, the panel of judges had burdensome and mitigating considerations for Johnny G Plate.

For burdensome matters, the NasDem politician is considered not to have helped the government's program in eradicating corruption, not admitting his guilt and not feeling guilty.

"The defendant was proven to have asked the defendant Anang Achmad Latif, the Managing Director of Bakti," he said.

While mitigating factors, Johnny G Plate was considered polite in the trial and was the head of the household.

"The money received is as an acknowledgment for social assistance," said Judge Fahzal.

At the trial of reading the defense note, Johnny G Plate mentioned many assumptions that he was named a suspect in the alleged corruption case of the 4G BTS project with poltic nuances.

It is known, Johnny G Plate is a cadre of the NasDem Party who carried Anies Baswedan and Muhaimin Iskandar as Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates in the 2024 General Election (Pemilu) contestation.

"In addition, considering that from the start I was named a suspect, it is undeniable that so many opinions say that my determination as a suspect cannot be separated from the political situation that was happening at that time," he said.

In fact, after reading the letter of demand which he considered to have ignored the facts of the trial, Johnny thought that there was indeed a possibility of a political element behind the case involving him.

"After seeing the contents of the indictment of the public prosecutor who ignored all the facts of the trial, a new question arose in me, is it really the widely circulated opinion that I was made a suspect and then the defendant, made a prisoner, accused of being a corruptor, just for political reasons," he said.