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The Star
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Indonesian ex-minister Thomas Lembong files ethics complaint against judges
FILE PHOTO: Thomas Trikasih Lembong talks with his lawyer after his verdict trial at the Central Jakarta Court following the sugar corruption case, in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 18, 2025. - Reuters JAKARTA: In a move seen as retaliatory against his conviction, former trade minister Thomas Lembong, a former graft convict who recently received a pardon from President Prabowo Subianto, has lodged complaints against judges presiding over his trial with the Supreme Court and Judicial Commission. Following up on what he promised upon his release from prison, Thomas reported alleged 'ethical violations and improper conduct' by three judges handling and ruling on his case, who worked on the case 'based on a presumption of guilt rather than innocence', said lawyer Zaid Mushafi in a video statement on Monday (Aug 4). The three reported judges were Dennie Arsan Fatrika, who presided over the panel of judges, as well as panel members Purwanto Abdullah and Alfis Setyawan. During a hearing on July 18, they ruled that Thomas was guilty of committing corruption pertaining to a raw sugar import policy he issued between 2015 and 2016, when the defendant was serving as the trade minister of then-president Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo. The judges sentenced Thomas to 4.5 years behind bars and ordered him to pay a Rp750 million (US$45,807) fine for his role in the case which prosecutors argued inflicted a Rp 578 billion state loss. The conviction came despite the court acknowledging that Thomas had no criminal intent and received no personal gain, sparking speculations that his case was politically charged from the outset. During the 2024 presidential election, Thomas served as a co-captain of the campaign team of failed candidate Anies Baswedan, a former Jakarta governor known as a vocal critic of Jokowi. While Thomas and his legal team were preparing to appeal the verdict, President Prabowo made a request with the House of Representatives for an abolition for Thomas, using presidential power to throw a defendant or convict's case out of court and abolish the prosecution against them. The request was granted, allowing him to walk free out of the Salemba Detention Centre in Jakarta last Friday. Lawyer Zaid said his client still insisted on lodging formal complaints against the judges in the hope of ushering in correction and improvement in the country's judicial system, particularly in regards to ensuring that everyone can be treated fairly under the principle of presumption of innocence. 'Thomas is not a politician who seeks only his personal gain and could walk free from prison and leave it at that,' the lawyer said. 'Instead, he has kept his promise to continue fighting for the evaluation and improvement of the legal enforcement process going forward.' In addition to the Supreme Court and the Judicial Commission, Zaid added Thomas' legal team would also file complaints with the Indonesian Ombudsman and the Development Finance Comptroller, whose audit of the Trade Ministry's sugar import policy was used as the basis of the Attorney General's Office against Thomas. Separately, another member of Thomas' legal team, Ari Yusuf Amir, said that the process to draft the complaints to the Supreme Court and Judicial Commission had started before Thomas received the abolition from Prabowo. Judicial Commission member and spokesperson Mukti Fajar Nur Dewata confirmed that the commission had received Thomas' complaint on Monday and would proceed to review and verify it. 'The Judicial Commission has been monitoring [Thomas'] case thanks to the heightened public attention it received. The commission will follow up on the report promptly in line with its duties and responsibilities,' Mukti said. He added that the commission was open to the possibility of summoning the three judges presiding over Thomas' trial to gather information regarding their alleged ethical violations. A spokesperson for the Supreme Court was not immediately available at the time of writing when contacted for a comment. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
The Star
01-08-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Prabowo's political rivals among over 1,000 granted clemency
FILE PHOTO: Thomas Trikasih Lembong attends his verdict trial at the Central Jakarta Court following the sugar corruption case, in Jakarta, Indonesia, July 18, 2025. A gesture of national reconciliation ahead of Independence Day on Aug. 17 included amnesty for more than 1,000 people, including the President's rivals.- Reuters JAKARTA: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto granted clemency to two high-profile political rivals, in a gesture of national reconciliation ahead of Independence Day on Aug. 17 that included amnesty for more than 1,000 people. Relief for former Trade Minister Thomas Trikasih Lembong and senior opposition official Hasto Kristiyanto was announced Thursday (July 31) alongside the mass amnesty, which included people jailed under controversial laws covering presidential insult and non-violent treason. Lembong, a prominent critic of Prabowo during the 2024 election campaign, was a key adviser to rival candidate Anies Baswedan. Hasto, meanwhile, serves as secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, known s PDI-P, the only major party outside Prabowo's ruling coalition and the largest bloc in parliament. The move could ease political tensions with the PDI-P, whose chair Megawati Sukarnoputri has so far withheld public support for Prabowo. Their legal relief - abolition for Lembong and amnesty for Hasto - was approved by parliament on Thursday, after receiving the presidential letters. They were both convicted recently in separate graft cases. Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas said during a press conference late Thursday that the decision was grounded in legal review and framed it as a unifying act. Under Indonesia's constitution, the president has the authority to grant amnesty and abolition, subject to parliamentary approval. Lembong's legal team described the move as a constitutional correction of a flawed legal process. Hasto's lawyers said in a text message they are awaiting a formal presidential decree. - Bloomberg
Nikkei Asia
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
Former Indonesian trade minister Lembong jailed for corruption
Thomas Lembong, a former Indonesian trade minister, was convicted of corruption at the Central Jakarta Court on July 18. Many observers have linked his prosecution to politics. © Reuters JOSEPH RACHMAN JAKARTA -- Thomas Lembong, a former Indonesian trade minister, has been jailed for four years and six months and fined 750 million rupiah ($46,000) after being found guilty of corruption in a case that critics say shows growing intolerance of opposition politicians in Southeast Asia's largest economy. Prosecutors had sought seven years and a fine of 750 million rupiah after accusing Lembong of improperly authorising sugar imports while serving as trade minister from 2015 to 2016 under former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.
Malaysian Reserve
18-06-2025
- Business
- Malaysian Reserve
Wilmar posts US$729m security deposit amid Indonesian corruption appeal, PPB discloses
PPB Group Bhd has announced that its associate company, Wilmar International Ltd, has placed a security deposit of 11.88 trillion Indonesian rupiah (approximately US$729 million or RM3.44 billion) with the Indonesian Attorney General's Office (AGO), in connection with an ongoing court appeal involving five of its subsidiaries. In a filing with Bursa Malaysia today, PPB, which holds an 18.8% interest in Wilmar, said the announcement was made by Wilmar on the Singapore Exchange following a press conference by the Attorney General of Indonesia on the same day. The case stems from charges brought by the AGO in April 2024 against five Wilmar subsidiaries, namely PT Multimas Nabati Asahan, PT Multi Nabati Sulawesi, PT Sinar Alam Permai, PT Wilmar Bioenergi Indonesia, and PT Wilmar Nabati Indonesia, for allegedly causing financial losses to the state, making unauthorised profits, and harming the business sector during a domestic cooking oil shortage between July and December 2021. The AGO claimed that the alleged actions led to total state losses of IDR12.3 trillion (about US$755 million), and subsequently appealed a Central Jakarta Court decision that favoured the Wilmar entities. In its statement, Wilmar said the AGO requested the group to 'demonstrate their belief in the Indonesian judicial system and their good faith and innocence, by placing a security deposit' equivalent to part of the alleged losses and supposed illegal gains. The Wilmar subsidiaries have complied with this request. Wilmar stated that the 'Security Deposit will be returned… if the Indonesian Supreme Court upholds the decision of the Central Jakarta Court, but may be forfeited, in full or in part… if the Indonesian Supreme Court finds against the Wilmar Respondents.' The group reiterated: 'The Wilmar Respondents continue to maintain that all actions taken by them were taken in good faith and free from any corrupt intent.' — TMR
