Four Indonesian soldiers allegedly involved in people smuggling stand at attention as they attend their trial at the Madiun district military court in East Java province yesterday.
MADIUN: Four Indonesian soldiers yesterday were sentenced to between five and six years in prison for helping to smuggle illegal migrants to Australia.
The Madiun district military court in East Java province found them “legally and convincingly guilty” of people-smuggling last December, when an asylum-seeker boat capsized en route to Australia, killing over 200 people.
“They had worked together in an organised manner to carry out people-smuggling,” presiding judge Muhammad Afandi said.
Second Sergeant Kornelius Nama, 37, was sentenced to six years in jail for helping to plot pick-up points for the migrants and source boats to pick them up from the shore, he added.
Three other officers were sentenced to five years in jail for their role as lookouts, he added.
All four were dismissed from military and fined 500m rupiah (US$52,000) each, Afandi said.
Their sentences followed Monday’s conviction of Second Sergeant Ilmun Abdul Said, who was jailed six years over the same incident.
Said was the first Indonesian military officer in history to be convicted of people-smuggling, according to the judges. Previous convictions involved civilians.
Last December’s incident is believed to be the largest loss of life from a sinking of one of the many boats packed with Asian and Middle Eastern migrants who undertake the often perilous voyage to Australia via Indonesia.
The presiding judge said the four officers each received between 48m rupiah and 75m rupiah for their role.
AFP
