Indonesian authorities have arrested three judges involved in the acquittal of major palm oil firms in a high-profile corruption case, deepening a growing scandal that has now implicated the chief judge of South Jakarta District Court and several legal officials.
Three Indonesian judges who acquitted major palm oil companies of corruption charges related to export permits have been arrested, an official from the Attorney General’s Office confirmed on Monday. The arrests follow the detention of the South Jakarta District Court's chief judge over the same case.
Last month, the court cleared Wilmar Group, Musim Mas Group, and Permata Hijau Group—three prominent palm oil companies—of wrongdoing in obtaining export permits during 2022. However, on Sunday night, the three judges responsible for the ruling were taken into custody, Attorney General’s Office spokesperson Harli Siregar told Reuters via text message.
On Saturday, authorities arrested Muhammad Arif Nuryanta, the chief judge of the South Jakarta District Court, who was allegedly paid 60 billion rupiah (approximately $3.57 million) by company lawyers to secure a favorable outcome. Siregar stated that $1.07 million of that sum was subsequently paid to the three judges who delivered the verdict. A court clerk and two lawyers have also been arrested in connection with the case.
“The bribe was given so that the judges would rule that it was not a crime,” Siregar said.
Reuters was unable to reach the detained judges or their legal representatives for comment.
The Attorney General’s Office has filed an appeal against the March acquittal. Indonesia’s Supreme Court has stated that the implicated judges will be suspended and permanently removed if found guilty, according to court spokesperson Yanto.
Wilmar International Limited responded on Monday, saying that, to the best of its knowledge, neither the company nor any of its employees are under investigation. “We believe we are not guilty of the charges, as our actions at the time were aimed at increasing palm oil supply to help the government stabilize domestic prices, despite the additional costs incurred,” the company said.
Musim Mas Group and Permata Hijau Group did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Nuryanta, who was serving as the court’s deputy chief when the ruling was made, did not preside over the case directly.
Indonesia, the world’s largest palm oil producer accounting for around 60% of global supply, implemented strict export restrictions in 2022, including a three-week ban, in an effort to control surging local cooking oil prices.
When prosecutors initially filed corruption charges against the companies, they were seeking penalties and payments totaling up to 11 trillion rupiah.
Expanding cross-border commerce and strengthening regional trade corridors topped the agenda in Baku on Tuesday (24 February), as senior lawmakers fro...
U.S. military forces have seized a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from Caribbean waters, the Pentagon said on Tuesday (24...
The Taliban in Kabul has rejected Russian claims that more than 23,000 militants from around 20 international terror groups are currently operating wi...
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday (24 February) urged Ukraine’s allies to maintain their backing as the war with Russia entered its fourth ye...
Seven people were killed after gunmen ambushed a police patrol in Kohat, a district in Pakistan’s north-west near the Afghan border, on Tuesday, in ...
The Taliban in Kabul has rejected Russian claims that more than 23,000 militants from around 20 international terror groups are currently operating within Afghanistan.
Kazakhstan says it has allocated $2.2 million to strengthen scientific monitoring of the Caspian Sea amid growing concern over falling water levels, biodiversity loss and rising industrial pressure on the world’s largest inland body of water.
Robert Carradine, best known for his roles in The Long Riders, Revenge of the Nerds and the television series Lizzie McGuire, has died at the age of 71 following a years-long battle with mental illness.
An Iranian military helicopter crashed in the city of Dorcheh, in Iran on Tuesday (24 February), causing the death of the pilot, co-pilot and two market sellers, state media reported.
Italy said a fond farewell to the Winter Olympics on Sunday with an open-air ceremony in the ancient Verona Arena that celebrated art and sporting achievement at a Games lauded as a model for how to stage such events.
The United States and Iran will hold a new round of nuclear negotiations in Geneva on Thursday as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to reach a potential agreement, Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi announced on Sunday.
Further Iran-U.S. nuclear talks are scheduled in Geneva on Thursday (26 February) as diplomacy resumes over Tehran’s nuclear programme following earlier mediation efforts. But will the talks move Iran-U.S. negotiations closer to a deal, and what should be expected from the meeting?
Mexican authorities said on Sunday that Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes, known as El Mencho and head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), was killed during a military operation in the western state of Jalisco.
The European Parliament’s trade chief has urged a temporary suspension of the EU–U.S. trade agreement approval, citing “tariff chaos” following President Donald Trump’s new 15% tariffs and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling invalidating his previous global tariff programme.
U.S. military forces have seized a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking it from Caribbean waters, the Pentagon said on Tuesday (24 February), adding that it was the third such operation.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday (24 February) urged Ukraine’s allies to maintain their backing as the war with Russia entered its fourth year, with divisions among European partners overshadowing anniversary commemorations.
Seven people were killed after gunmen ambushed a police patrol in Kohat, a district in Pakistan’s north-west near the Afghan border, on Tuesday, in an attack that comes amid rising militant violence and heightened tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Following the full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, Western governments significantly expanded sanctions targeting Russia’s finance, energy, trade and technology sectors. The measures built on restrictions first imposed in 2014 following Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea.
Britain imposed its largest package of sanctions on Russia in years on Tuesday (24 February), marking the fourth anniversary of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, as London also announced fresh military and humanitarian support for Kyiv.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment