Former Aceh governor Irwandi Yusuf (right) and his wife Darwati A. Gani are see here voting in an election in Banda Aceh in this 2012 file photo. (Photo by Adek Berry/AFP)
An Indonesian court has increased the prison term handed down to a former governor of Aceh province convicted earlier this year of taking bribes.
Irwandi Yusuf, originally sentenced to seven years in prison and barred from politics for a further three years in April, had his sentence increased to eight years and his political ban raised to five years by the Jakarta High Court on Aug. 14.
The judges also ordered the 58-year-old former governor to pay a fine of 300 million rupiah (US$ 21,000) or serve an additional three months in prison.
The ruling followed an appeal by prosecutors who said the punishment handed down by the lower court was too lenient.
Yusuf has been found guilty of accepting bribes from a local district chief, totaling US$73,500 in return for a number of infrastructure projects.
He also received US$ 609,000 from businessmen during his two terms as governor.
Febri Diansyah, spokesman of the Corruption Eradication Commission, which brought the charges against Yusef, said the commission was happier with the tougher sentence, but refused to rule out seeking an even longer term.
"By increasing the sentence, it showed the court does take corruption cases seriously," he said.
Yusuf's lawyer, Sayuti Abubakar said on Aug. 14 that an appeal to the Supreme Court was likely.
"We will discuss this with him as soon as possible," he said.
The case has aroused interest in Indonesia, especially in Aceh, which is the only province in Indonesia that follows Islamic law.
Many locals there not only wanted their former governor punished by the country’s laws, but also by Islamic law.
However, while Aceh allows caning for a number of crimes, such as adultery, sexual assault, rape, gambling and selling alcohol, there are no punishments covering corruption.
Yusuf was the second Aceh governor convicted of corruption after Abdullah Puteh, who was sentenced to 10 years in 2005 for taking bribes totaling US$872,500.
The former governor, who was once the leader of the separatist Free Aceh Movement, was first elected governor in 2007 and re-elected in 2017.