Jakarta. The Supreme Court has rejected a judicial review petition filed by former Communication and Informatics Minister Johnny Gerard Plate, effectively upholding his 15-year prison sentence for corruption.

The ruling, published on the court’s official website on Tuesday, marks the end of Johnny’s legal battle, confirming that he has exhausted all possible avenues for appeal.

The final and binding decision was issued by a panel of three justices -- Surya Jaya, Agustinus Purnomo Hadi, and Sutarjo -- on Friday.

In November 2023, Johnny was convicted in a major corruption case involving the government's internet infrastructure program for remote areas. The project was overseen by the Information and Telecommunication Accessibility Agency (BAKTI), an agency under his ministry.

According to state auditors, the scandal caused an estimated Rp 8 trillion ($481 million) in state losses, primarily due to thousands of 4G towers that were never built, despite government funding being disbursed.

In addition to the prison sentence, the court ordered Johnny to repay Rp 16 billion and $10,000 in embezzled funds. If he fails to return the money within a month of the ruling becoming legally binding, the state will seize his personal assets. Failure to repay could also result in an additional five years of imprisonment.

Several BAKTI officials and executives from private technology contractors involved in the project were also convicted in connection with the case.

Johnny, 69, a senior politician from the National Democratic Party (Nasdem), initially appealed his conviction at the Jakarta High Court and later the Supreme Court -- both of which upheld the original verdict. The judicial review was his final legal recourse.

The Supreme Court did not elaborate on the reasons behind the rejection of the review request.

While numerous ministers have been charged with corruption by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), Johnny Plate is the first active cabinet member to be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office in such a case.