Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has arrested three judges in connection with allegations of bribery during a high-profile case involving the illegal export of palm oil.
The detentions follow an investigation into the role of the judges in securing favorable rulings for major palm oil companies.
Abdul Qohar, the AGO’s Director of Investigations, confirmed on Monday that the three judges Agam Syarif Baharuddin, Ali Muhtarom, and Djuyamto were arrested late on Sunday. They are accused of accepting bribes in exchange for acquitting the Wilmar Group, Permata Hijau Group, and Musim Mas Group, all of which were involved in the illegal export of crude palm oil.
In March, these judges ruled that the companies had been exporting palm oil without the necessary government permits. However, they decided that the actions did not violate Indonesia’s criminal laws, a decision that raised suspicions. Following extensive questioning of seven witnesses, investigators gathered enough evidence to formally name the judges as suspects.
Qohar revealed that the judges had received significant sums of money in exchange for the ruling. The first transaction in 2024 amounted to 4.5 billion Indonesian rupiah (approximately 268,000 USD), facilitated through former South Jakarta District Court Chief Muhammad Arif Nuryanta. A second payment followed, totaling 18 billion rupiah.
The detention of the judges brings the total number of suspects in the case to seven. On Sunday, prosecutors also named South Jakarta District Court clerk Wahyu Gunawan, defense attorneys Marcella Santoso and Ariyanto, and Nuryanta as suspects.
The case stems from the illegal exportation of crude palm oil by the three major companies during a temporary export ban imposed by former President Joko Widodo in 2022. The ban was introduced to address a nationwide cooking oil shortage. According to the government, the illegal exports led to a loss of 10.9 million USD, as the government had to subsidize domestic cooking oil prices to ease the crisis.
In connection with the illegal export scandal, five individuals, including prominent market analyst Lin Che Wei and a senior official from the Trade Ministry, were sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to three years in January 2023. Other individuals convicted in relation to the case included former Director-General of International Trade at the Trade Ministry, Indrasari Wisnu Wardhana, and several business executives, such as Master Parulian Tumanggor, Stanley MA, and Pierre Togar Sitanggang.
