Public anger over Indonesian coal trader Harvey Moeis ‘lenient’ sentence

Harvey Moeis (right, in pink vest) is escorted out of a courtroom on Dec. 23, 2024, after the Jakarta Corruption Court found him guilty of graft in a case involving state-owned tin giant PT Timah. He was sentenced to 6.5 years in prison, ordered to pay a fine of Rp 1 billion (US$61,674) or serve an additional six months and pay restitution of Rp 210 billion. - Photo: Kompas

JAKARTA: Public anger has ensued following a court verdict that sentenced businessman Harvey Moeis to 6.5 years in prison, with many saying the punishment is too lenient considering the scale of the case, which has cost the state Rp 300 trillion (US$18.5 billion), one of Indonesia’s largest corruption cases.

Harvey, a coal businessman and husband of actress Sandra Dewi, was found guilty early last week of corruption and money laundering in a case involving state-owned tin miner PT Timah, which has the largest tin mining concessions in the country.