An Indonesian court on Wednesday sentenced a former senior Commerce Ministry official and three directors of palm oil firms to prison in a case involving improper palm oil export permits, based on lawyers.
In April, Indonesia’s attorney general opened an investigation into allegations of corruption related to the issuance of export licenses at a time when the federal government was restricting supplies to regulate rising cooking oil prices.
Indrasari Wisnu Wardhana, former director general of international trade on the Commerce Ministry, was found guilty of abuse of power and causing loss to the state, his lawyer Aldres Jonathan Napitupulu said.
Indrasari was sentenced to a few years in prison, the lawyer said. The court document shows that the prosecutor asked for a seven-year prison sentence.
Aldres maintained his client’s innocence and denied accepting bribes. “We will determine in the following seven days whether we’ll appeal or not,” he said.
In Indonesia, the straightforward act of shopping for cooking oil has proven deadly
In Indonesia, the straightforward act of shopping for cooking oil has proven deadly
Meanwhile, Commissioner Wilmar Nabati Indonesia, Master Parulian Tumanggor, Musim Mas CEO Togar Sitanggang and Permata Hijau Group senior manager Stanley Ma were sentenced to terms starting from one to 1 and a half years in prison, the Attorney General’s Office said.
Stanley’s legal representative said they were convicted of influencing a former Trade Ministry official’s decision. Lawyers for Master and Stanley said they were still discussing with their clients whether to appeal, while denying any wrongdoing.
Togar’s lawyer couldn’t immediately be reached. Palm oil firms didn’t reply to requests for comment.
The Attorney General’s office will appeal the court’s decision to hunt longer sentences, official Ketut Sumedana said.
