JAKARTA (Reuters) - Former Indonesian social affairs minister Juliari Batubara has been sentenced to 12 years in prison over a COVID-19 graft scandal, the Jakarta Corruption Court ruled on Monday.

       The court said the former politician had received bribes in relation to the procurement of goods intended for COVID-19 social assistance packages.

       The politician was also fined 500 million rupiah ($34,698.13), ordered to pay back the embezzled funds, and will be banned from public office for four years after serving his prison term.

       ($1 = 14,410.0000 rupiah)

       (Reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa; Writing by Kate Lamb; Editing by James Pearson)