Ex-KPK officer calls on suspect Thomas to call sugar imports ‘mafia’ – Politics

On By Karl

The former investigator of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has called on corruption suspect Thomas Lembong, who served as commerce minister in 2015-2016, to assist authorities in uncovering alleged corruption in the country’s sugar trade.

“Tom Lembong must be a collaborator of justice,” Yudi Purnomo said in a written statement Thursday. Kompas.comHe refers to the Harvard-educated politician by his nickname.

Last month, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) named Thomas as a suspect in a corruption case related to a 2015 sugar import deal when he was trade minister.

Thomas reportedly gave permission to a private company identified as PT AP to import 105,000 tonnes of raw sugar, which was then processed into white crystalline sugar.

While current regulations stipulate that only a state-owned enterprise can import sugar, an inter-ministerial meeting determined that Indonesia had a sugar surplus and did not need to import this product.

Yudi also said that the investigation into the case, which has been going on for almost nine years, has revealed the possibility of a wider corruption network in the industry. If so, Thomas would likely know the key players involved in the decision-making process, including the official who signs the import permits.

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He claimed that allowing at least eight private companies to import sugar led to state losses of approximately Rp 400 billion (US$25.5 million), urging Thomas to cooperate with authorities and provide any relevant information to prevent a similar incident.

“By cooperating, Thomas can not only defend his own innocence, but also expose those who abuse the system,” Yudi said in the statement. he said.

The former KPK inspector also asked the AGO to further investigate the sugar import case rather than stop naming Thomas as a suspect. He stressed the importance of addressing the entire alleged corruption network to ensure future sugar imports adhere to established procedures.

The AGO also named the business director of state trading company PT Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia, identified as CS, as a suspect in the case.