Nana Rukmana, Jakarta/Cirebon – In a split decision the Anti-Corruption Court sentenced former maritime affairs and fisheries minister Rokhmin Dahuri to seven years prison for corruption Monday, one year more than the prosecutors had demanded.

Three of the five judges presiding over the trial ruled that Rokhmin was guilty of using his position to enrich himself and must also pay a fine of Rp 250 million (US$27,700) or spend an additional six months behind bars, besides returning a total of Rp 1.31 billion, several commercial fishponds and a Toyota Camry sedan to the state.

Rokhmin was charged of illegally collecting and using Rp 11.5 billion.

Judges I Made Hendra, Dudu Duswara and Andi Bachtiar all agreed that the prosecutors had proven Rokhmin guilty under both articles 11 and 12 e of the Anti Corruption Law, while judges Mansyurdin Chaniago and Moerdiono dissented, saying that they found no evidence of abuse of power. Indonesian law considers a count ruling valid on the basis of a majority decision by the judges.

The public response was similarly controversial, with the supporters of Rokhmin who were in attendance during the reading of the verdict and others in the former minister's hometown severely criticizing the court ruling, shouting angrily as it was read out and breaking a railing in the courtroom.

Meanwhile in Rokhmin's hometown of Cirebon, West Java, his supporters burnt a fishing boat in front of Rokhmin's house before blocking the northern coastal highway, which connects Jakarta with Central Java. Traffic was severely disrupted in both directions.

Article 11 stipulates that state official accepting gratuities face up to five years in prison, while article 12 e states that people in public office who solicit funds by force of their position face up to 20 years.

I Made Hendra, one of the three judges ruling against the defendant, said that "Rokhmin mentioned his plan to collect and use regional project funds from regional offices of his ministry for non-budgetary programs in a leadership meeting in which his subordinates felt obliged to obey him."

Hendra said the collected money was used for programs outside of the state budget, such as for fishermen, Islamic boarding schools, legislators, political parties, non-governmental organizations and presidential candidates.

Judge Dudu Duswara said that besides using the money for those programs, Rokhmin also used some of the money for his own benefit. He said that Rokhmin used Rp 15 million for personal expenses during his pilgrimage to Mecca, Rp 350 million for inauguration as a professor at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture and Rp 400 million to buy a Toyota Camry car under the name of his brother.

Rokhmin, who interrupted the reading of the verdict twice, told the court after sentencing that he was innocent and would appeal the verdict immediately.

Rokhmin's lawyer M Assegaf said after the reading that the three judges ruling against his client had no sense of justice. He said he suspected that the ad hoc judges were little more than an extension of the Corruption Eradication Commission.