Attorney General's Office Identifies 9 New Suspects in Sugar Import Corruption Scandal
The Attorney General's Office has named nine new suspects in the sugar import corruption case linked to ex-Trade Minister Tom Lembong. Who are they?
Tempo.co, Jakarta - Investigators from the Attorney General's Office's Special Crimes Division (Jampidsus Kejagung) have identified new suspects in the alleged case surrounding the import of sugar, which involves former Minister of Trade Thomas Trikasih Lembong, also known as Tom Lembong.
"Based on our investigation and the evidence we've gathered, the investigative team has found sufficient preliminary evidence to charge nine individuals as suspects," said Abdul Qohar, Director of Investigations at Jampidsus Kejagung, during a press conference in South Jakarta on Monday, January 20, 2025.
The suspects are TWN (President Director of PT Angels Product/AP); WN (President Director of PT Andalan Furnindo/AF); AS (President Director of PT Sentral Usahatama Jaya/SUJ); IS (President Director of PT Medang Sugar Industri/MSI); PSEP (Director of PT Makassar Tene/MT); HAT (Director of PT Duta Segar Internasional/DSI); ASB (President Director of PT Kebun Tebu Mas/KTM); HFH (President Director of PT Berkah Manis Makmur/BMM); and ES (Director of PT Permata Dunia Sukses Utama/PDSU).
Abdul Qohar explained that these private companies imported raw sugar (GKM) and processed it into white crystal sugar (GKP), despite only being authorized to produce refined sugar. Additionally, the import of GKP is reserved exclusively for state-owned enterprises (BUMN).
"By granting the import approval for GKM to be processed into GKP by the then Minister of Trade—Mr. TTL, as the suspect, to the private entities involved—it undermined the objectives of price stabilization and the fulfillment of national sugar stock through market operations for the public," said Abdul Qohar. He further stated that their actions not only benefitted private parties but also led to significant financial losses for the state.
As a result of their actions, seven suspects have been detained for 20 days at the Salemba Branch of the Attorney General's Office detention center and the South Jakarta District Attorney's Salemba Branch detention center. Meanwhile, two other suspects, HAT and ES, remain at large.
These suspects are charged with violating Article 2, paragraph (1) and Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of the Corruption Crimes Act, along with Article 55, paragraph (1), subparagraph 1 of the Criminal Code (KUHP).
Editor's Choice:
to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
