Three judges detained for bribery in palm oil export scandal
Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has detained three judges accused of accepting bribes in a high-profile case related to illegal crude palm oil exports.
The AGO’s Director of Investigations, Abdul Qohar, announced on Monday that Judges Agam Syarif Baharuddin, Ali Muhtarom, and Djuyamto were taken into custody late Sunday.
The three allegedly received payments in exchange for acquitting major companies—Wilmar Group, Permata Hijau Group, and Musim Mas Group—despite evidence they had exported crude palm oil without proper government permits.
In March, the judges ruled that while the companies had indeed acted without permits, their actions did not constitute a criminal offense under Indonesian law.
Mr. Qohar stated that after questioning seven witnesses, prosecutors had gathered sufficient evidence to name the judges as suspects, emphasizing that they were fully aware the payments were intended to influence the verdict.
According to investigators, the judges first received 4.5 billion Indonesian rupiah (approximately $268,000) through former South Jakarta District Court Chief Muhammad Arif Nuryanta, followed by a second payment of 18 billion rupiah.
The arrests bring the total number of suspects in the case to seven.
Other individuals named include court clerk Wahyu Gunawan, defense attorneys Marcella Santoso and Ariyanto, and Mr. Nuryanta.
The case stems from a 2022 export ban on crude palm oil, introduced by former President Joko Widodo in response to a domestic cooking oil shortage.
The government reported a loss of $10.9 million due to illegal exports, which forced it to subsidize local cooking oil prices.
In January 2023, five individuals, including prominent market analyst Lin Che Wei and a senior trade ministry official, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to three years.
Other convicted figures include former Director-General of International Trade Indrasari Wisnu Wardhana and executives Parulian Tumanggor, Stanley MA, and Pierre Togar Sitanggang.
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