Demanded 12 Years, SYL Will Read Today's Defense Note

The defendant in the extortion and gratification case Syahrul Yasin Limpo (ANTARA)

JAKARTA - Former Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Syahrul Yasin Limpo or SYL will read out a memorandum of defense or plea in a follow-up hearing on the alleged extortion and gratification case within the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan), today, July 5, 2024.

In the previous trial, SYL was judged guilty by the Public Prosecutor (JPU). Thus, being charged with imprisonment for 12 years.

"The legal advisory team has explicitly said that it will submit a written defense note as we agreed," said Chief Judge Rianto Adam Pontoh in the previous trial, Friday, June 29.

"This means next Friday (today) July 5, 2024. Please arrange it for a personal defense note and from the defendant's legal advisory team," he continued.

Not only SYL, two other defendants, namely the former Secretary General of the Ministry of Agriculture Kasdi Subagyono and former Director of Agricultural Equipment and Machinery of the Ministry of Agriculture Muhammad Hatta will also read out his memorandum of defense.

At the previous trial, the prosecutor had read out his demands. SYL was charged with imprisonment for 12 years and a fine of Rp. 500 million, subsidiary to 6 months in prison.

The former Minister of Agriculture was also charged with paying replacement money of around Rp44 billion and 30 thousand US dollars. If you do not have the ability to replace it with imprisonment for 4 years.

"To charge the defendant Syahrul Yasin Limpo to pay compensation of Rp44,269,777,204 and US$30 thousand, subsidiary to 4 years in prison," said the prosecutor.

One of the considerations behind these demands is SYL's greed motif in committing a criminal act of corruption.

In addition, the prosecutor also has other burdensome considerations, namely, convoluted in providing information and treating the trust of the Indonesian people with alleged corruption.

In his demands, the prosecutor also had one mitigating consideration for SYL, namely that she was an elderly person.

"The defendant is 69 years old at this time," said the prosecutor.

The claim was given because the prosecutor believed that SYL violated Article 12 letter e in conjunction with Article 18 of the Republic of Indonesia Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Corruption in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) of the 1st Criminal Code (KUHP) in conjunction with Article 64 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.