Jakarta (ANTARA) - Trade Minister for 2015-2016 Thomas Trikasih Lembong (Tom Lembong) is facing charges for allegedly causing Rp578.1 billion (US$34 million) state financial losses in a sugar import corruption case during his tenure at the ministry.
According to the Public Prosecutor (JPU) from the Attorney General's Office, Sigit Sambodo, Lembong is suspected of participating in acts with several other defendants in the case.
"The act has enriched several parties to the value of Rp515.4 billion (US$30 million), thereby causing losses to the state treasury," Sambodo said while reading the indictment at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Thursday.
The charges against Lembong fall under Article 2, Paragraph (1) or Article 3, in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 on the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended and supplemented by Law Number 20 of 2001 in conjunction with Article 55, Paragraph (1) Ke-1 of the Criminal Code.
The Public Prosecutor disclosed that Lembong's unlawful act in this case involved issuing a letter of acknowledgment for the import of raw crystal sugar between 2015 and 2016 to Tony Wijaya, President Director of PT Angels Products, and other companies, all without conducting an inter-ministerial coordination meeting.
In executing his act, Lembong had not obtained a recommendation from the Ministry of Industry and was also accused of issuing a letter of acknowledgement for the import of raw crystal sugar to several companies for the 2015-2016 period.
Sambodo noted that the import acknowledgment letters were issued to parties lacking the necessary authorization to convert raw crystal sugar into white crystal sugar, as they were primarily refined sugar companies.
Additionally, Lembong issued an import acknowledgment letter to PT Angels Products for processing raw crystal sugar into white sugar, despite sufficient domestic production of white sugar at the time.
Lembong was also accused of failing to assign a State-Owned Enterprise (SOEs) to manage sugar availability and stabilize prices, instead opting for other cooperatives.
Lembong is further suspected of assigning PT Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia (Indonesia Trading Company) or PPI to procure white crystal sugar in collaboration with refined sugar producers.
Earlier, Director of Business Development of PT PPI, Charles Sitorus, along with the president directors of several other companies, had agreed to regulate the selling price of sugar from producers to PT PPI and the selling price regulation from PT PPI to distributors above the Farmer's Reference Price (HPP).
"Tom Lembong failed to manage sugar distribution for stock formation and price stabilization, tasks that should have been handled by SOEs through market operations and/or affordable markets," the Public Prosecutor stated.
