Jakarta - An Indonesian man who convinced President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that he could turn water into fuel was Thursday sentenced to three-and-a-half years in prison for fraud, a report said.
A court in Bantul district, central Java, found Djoko Suprapto guilty of persuading a university president to provide money to finance bogus projects, the Detikcom news website reported.
Suprapto became infamous last year after managing to deceive Yudhoyono that he could separate hydrogen from water, turning it into diesel. He had promised to deliver machines that could produce the so-called "Blue Energy".
Government scientists revealed that tests on the substance, purportedly made from water, showed it was diesel from state oil company Pertamina, the Jakarta Post reported in June.
The university lost more than one billion rupiah (89,000 US dollars) through the scam.
Suprapto said through his lawyer that he would appeal the sentence. - AFP