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South China Morning Post
7 days ago
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Was it politics? Indonesian ex-minister Thomas Lembong's jail term ignites debate
A recent prison sentence for a former Indonesian trade minister has raised eyebrows over alleged political motivations, given the defendant's loyalty to an opposition politician. Last Friday, judges at a corruption court in Jakarta sentenced Thomas Trikasih Lembong to 4½ years in jail and a fine of 750 million rupiah (US$46,000) for improperly granting sugar import permits , during what the prosecutor said was a surplus of local production, when he was trade minister in 2015-16. Prosecutors previously sought seven years' imprisonment for Lembong. Sugar production in 2015 reached 2.49 million tons, while domestic consumption was 2.12 million tons, according to data from the statistics agency. Prosecutors also argued that the policy was issued without inter-ministries discussion, as well as recommendation from the Ministry of Industry. Lembong's defence team has denied wrongdoing, saying there was a sugar deficit at that time. Harvard graduate Lembong was campaign manager for losing candidate Anies Baswedan in last year's presidential election . Both men served as ministers under former president Joko Widodo 's first-term cabinet, before they were reshuffled in July 2016. Lembong was once Widodo's close ally, having written speeches for Widodo from 2013, when he was Jakarta governor, until the end of his first-term presidency in 2019. Among famous Lembong-made speeches for Widodo was his Game of Thrones-laden address during the International Monetary Fund meeting in Bali in 2018, when the former president said 'winter is coming' due to the unstable global economy.
CNA
18-07-2025
- Business
- CNA
Indonesia court jails former trade minister for 4.5 years in sugar graft case
JAKARTA: An Indonesian court on Friday (Jul 18) sentenced a former trade minister to 4.5 years in jail for improperly granting sugar import permits that authorities said had caused nearly 600 billion rupiah (US$36.84 million) in state losses. Thomas Trikasih Lembong served as trade minister in 2015 and 2016 under President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. Once seen as Jokowi's close aide, Lembong turned into one of the government's staunchest critics after leaving office. Judges at the corruption court in the capital Jakarta said Lembong, as minister, was guilty of improperly granting import permits for sugar to private companies when the Southeast Asian country had a surplus of sugar. Indonesia's sugar output in 2015 was 2.49 million metric tons, while consumption was 2.12 million. In last year's presidential election, Lembong was the campaign manager for candidate Anies Baswedan. The election was won in a landslide by Prabowo Subianto, whom Jokowi backed. Lembong, who was arrested days after Prabowo's inauguration last year, had claimed in court that his prosecution was due to his involvement in the opposition camp, local media reported. Prosecutors had denied his arrest was politically motivated. "The defendant was proven legally and convincingly to be guilty of having committed a corruption act," Judge Purwanto S Abdullah said, to jeers from the crowd. Before handing the sentence, the judges had argued the import permits did not go through the proper procedures of consulting with other state bodies and that he had prioritised "capitalistic" interests over social justice. However, the judges said he did not enrich himself, leading to a shorter sentence than the seven years prosecutors had demanded. Prosecutors said Lembong had enriched the private companies. Holding up his handcuffed hands, Lembong told reporters after the sentencing that he would consider whether or not to appeal, saying judges had ignored his defence team.
Reuters
18-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Indonesia court jails former trade minister for 4.5 years in sugar graft case
JAKARTA, July 18 (Reuters) - An Indonesian court on Friday sentenced a former trade minister to 4.5 years in jail for improperly granting sugar import permits that authorities said had caused nearly 600 billion rupiah ($36.84 million) in state losses. Thomas Trikasih Lembong served as trade minister in 2015 and 2016 under President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo. Once seen as Jokowi's close aide, Lembong turned into one of the government's staunchest critics after leaving office. Judges at the corruption court in the capital Jakarta said Lembong, as minister, was guilty of improperly granting import permits for sugar to private companies when the Southeast Asian country had a surplus of sugar. Indonesia's sugar output in 2015 was 2.49 million metric tons, while consumption was 2.12 million. In last year's presidential election, Lembong was the campaign manager for candidate Anies Baswedan. The election was won in a landslide by Prabowo Subianto, whom Jokowi backed. Lembong, who was arrested days after Prabowo's inauguration last year, had claimed in court that his prosecution was due to his involvement in the opposition camp, local media reported. Prosecutors had denied his arrest was politically motivated. "The defendant was proven legally and convincingly to be guilty of having committed a corruption act," Judge Purwanto S. Abdullah said, to jeers from the crowd. Before handing the sentence, the judges had argued the import permits did not go through the proper procedures of consulting with other state bodies and that he had prioritised "capitalistic" interests over social justice. However, the judges said he did not enrich himself, leading to a shorter sentence than the seven years prosecutors had demanded. Prosecutors said Lembong had enriched the private companies. Holding up his handcuffed hands, Lembong told reporters after the sentencing that he would consider whether or not to appeal, saying judges had ignored his defence team. His lawyer Ari Yusuf Amir did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on Friday. ($1 = 16,285.0000 rupiah)
