Ministry Of Agriculture's Extortion And Gratification Session Friday Afternoon, SYL Reads 25 Defenders Sheets

The defendant in the bribery and gratification case Syahrul Yasin Limpo at the trial (Rizky AP/VOI)

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 in the case of alleged extortion and gratification within the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan), Friday, July 5 afternoon.

SYL's attorney, Djamaluddin Koedoeboen, said that his client would read out dozens of personal defense sheets of charges and demands from the Public Prosecutor (JPU).

"Mr. SYL has about 25 pages. If we have more than 2000 pages," said Djamaluddin to reporters, Friday, July 5.

It is said that the defense note which will be read out in court, will generally refute the indictment that said SYL had blackmailed echelon I in the Ministry of Agriculture.

Then, regarding several new things that were raised by the prosecutor when reading out his demands. In fact, said Djamaluddin, at the previous trial there had never been such facts.

"However, we cannot elaborate on that because we have not read the plea so that the image is generally like that," said Djamaluddin.

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.