JAKARTA: High-profile businessman Harvey Moeis, nicknamed Indonesia’s “perfect husband” by netizens, was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison and a penalty of 210 billion rupiah (US$13 million) for his role in a massive tin-mining corruption case on Monday (Dec 23).
He was also fined 1 billion rupiah.
The Central Jakarta District Court found Harvey, 39, guilty of corruption and money laundering related to illegal tin mining and trade. The illegal mining took place within state-owned tin miner PT Timah’s concessions in Bangka Belitung province off Sumatra.
Harvey’s jail term is, however, significantly shorter than the 12 years prosecutors had sought.
The court ruled that 12 years’ imprisonment would be too heavy as Harvey was not part of the management structure of PT Refined Bangka Tin (RBT). RBT is the company that gained access to PT Timah’s management with Harvey’s help.
Harvey brokered deals for at least four smelting companies to process tin from illegal mining, receiving payments of up to US$700 per tonne, the court found, as reported by Jakarta Globe.
Over the years, he collected at least US$30 million through a co-conspirator called Helena Lim.
During the trial, the prosecution revealed that state losses from the case amounted to an estimated 300 trillion rupiah, primarily from irreparable environmental damage caused by the illegal mining activities.
Prosecutors said they would take a week to decide whether to appeal the verdict.
