Former Defense Ministry official Leonardi gets 2.5 years
Prosecutors are still weighing an appeal, while judges also sentenced Thomas to 2 years and fined both Rp500 juta each.
The Jakarta High Military Court II sentenced former Defense Ministry Defense Facilities Agency head Leonardi to 2 years 6 months in prison in a corruption case over the 123 degrees BT orbit slot satellite project. Judges said Leonardi was proven under the subsidiary charge, far lighter than prosecutors' demand of 8 years. Thomas Anthony Van Der Heyden, a satellite expert at the Defense Ministry, was also sentenced to 2 years in prison. Both were fined Rp500 juta each, with a 140-day substitute sentence. The panel said Leonardi forced the signing of a contract with Navayo International AG while the 2016 DIPA budget was still blocked. Judges said the state's losses were real because an International Chamber of Commerce arbitration ruling required the government to pay Navayo's bill. After the verdict was read on Thursday (27/8), the prosecution team said it was still considering whether to appeal.