Three UGM lecturers sentenced to two to three years' imprisonment for corruption

Semarang (ANTARA) - Three lecturers at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) were sentenced to two to three years’ imprisonment in the case of fictitious purchases of cocoa bean raw material by PT Pagilaran, the campus-owned plantation company in Batang Regency, with state losses of Rp6.7 billion. The presiding judge, Chief Judge Rightmen Situmorang, in a session at the Semarang Corruption Court, Central Java, read the verdicts against the three defendants one by one: the President Director of PT Pagilaran, Rachmat Gunadi; the Director of Business Development and Incubation at UGM Yogyakarta, Hargo Utomo; and the Head of the Sub-Directorate of Incubation in the Directorate of Business Development and Incubation at UGM Yogyakarta, Henry Yuliando.

Defendant Rachmat Gunadi was sentenced to three years’ imprisonment and a Rp50 million fine, which, if not paid, would be replaced by 50 days’ detention. “The defendant is found guilty of violating Article 603 of Indonesian Law Number 1 of 2023 on the Penal Code,” he said.

Meanwhile, the defendants Hargo Utomo and Henry Yuliando were each sentenced to two years’ imprisonment and fines of Rp30 million, which, if unpaid, would be replaced by 30 days’ detention.

In his considerations, the judge found that the elements of illegality and harm to the state’s finances had been satisfied.

The criminal act occurred in 2019 and originated from UGM’s plan to purchase raw materials valued at Rp24 billion. Of that procurement allocation, around 200,000 tonnes comprised cocoa beans. The purchase of 200,000 tonnes of cocoa beans was agreed at Rp37,000 per kg, giving a value of Rp7.4 billion. The calculation of state losses was based on the value of total purchases less tax.