Former Sleman Regent Prosecuted for 8.5 Years in Grant Fund Corruption Case
Former Sleman Regent Prosecuted for 8.5 Years in Grant Fund Corruption Case
Sri Purnomo (SP), regent of Sleman district during the periods 2010-2015 and 2016-2021, faces prosecution for 8.5 years imprisonment on suspicion of corrupting tourism promotion grant funds in 2020.
The prosecution hearing was held at the Yogyakarta Corruption Court on Friday, 14 March.
During the hearing, the Public Prosecutor (JPU), based on an analysis of trial facts, concluded that SP had been proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt of committing corruption. The prosecutor determined that SP’s actions met the elements of the first subsidiary charge: Article 3 read with Article 18 of Law No. 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Corruption Offences, as amended by Law No. 20 of 2001 read with Article 55 paragraph (1) clause 1 of the Criminal Code.
“Imposing a prison sentence on the defendant of 8 years and 6 months, minus the time spent in detention, with an order that the defendant remain detained,” the prosecutor stated in the indictment.
Additionally, SP faces a fine of Rp500 million, or alternatively three months imprisonment. The prosecutor demanded the defendant pay restitution of Rp10.95 billion, which, if unpaid within one month of the court decision becoming final, would authorise the prosecutor to seize and auction his assets to cover the obligation. Should the defendant lack sufficient assets to pay the restitution, he would be imprisoned for a further 4 years and 3 months.
In imposing the sentence, the prosecutor cited several aggravating and mitigating circumstances.
Aggravating factors included that the defendant’s actions caused state financial loss of Rp10.9 billion; evasive testimony during the trial; failure to acknowledge his actions and lack of remorse; and lack of support for the government’s anti-corruption programme.
The mitigating factor was that the defendant had no prior criminal convictions.
The defendant and his legal counsel plan to submit a defence statement. The hearing will resume on 27 March 2026.
In the indictment, prosecutors alleged that Sri Purnomo misused the tourism promotion grant fund from the central government to assist the electoral victory of his wife, Kustini Sri Purnomo, in the 2020 Sleman local election. The grant in question came from the Ministry of Finance worth Rp68.5 billion, provided to address the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the tourism sector.
The prosecutor explained that Sri Purnomo issued Sleman Regent Regulation No. 49 of 2020, which stipulated the provision of grants to community groups in the tourism sector. This policy was deemed to contradict central government provisions because grant recipients were not focused on affected tourism villages, as required by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy.
The indictment also stated that before issuing the regulation, SP allegedly informed several party officials that there was “idle money” from the centre that could be utilised for campaign activities supporting ticket number 3 candidates, Kustini Sri Purnomo and Danang Maharsa, in the 2020 Sleman local election. The campaign team allegedly coordinated grant applications from community groups in exchange for political support.
Through this grant programme, Sleman District Government distributed approximately Rp17.2 billion to tourism sector community groups. According to an audit by the Financial and Development Supervision Agency (BPKP) in Yogyakarta, SP’s and his son Raudi Akmal’s actions allegedly resulted in state losses of Rp10.95 billion.