KLHK Sues 22 Companies For Cause Of Forest And Land Fires

DOK ANTARA

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) stated that it had sued 22 companies that caused forest and land fires in Indonesia from 2015 to 2023.

"A total of 22 corporations are civil defendants, both related to compensation for environmental damage caused by certain actions and certain actions, especially land restoration," said the Director General of Environmental and Forestry Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Ratio Ridho Sani, as reported by ANTARA, Friday, August 18.

Rasio explained that of the 22 companies being sued, as many as 14 companies had permanent legal force or inkracht van gewijsde with a total verdict value of IDR 5.60 trillion consisting of seven companies in the execution process amounting to IDR 3.05 trillion and seven companies preparing for execution amounting to IDR 2.55 trillion.

The court has granted the lawsuit, so that the Ministry of Environment and Forestry has a permanent decision and is ready to carry out the execution process of the 14 companies that cause forest and land fires in Indonesia.

The seven companies in the execution process are PT Waringin Agro Jaya in Ogan Komering Ilir, South Sumatra with a verdict value of IDR 466.46 billion, PT Ricky Kurniawan Kertapersada in Muaro Jambi, Jambi Province with a total value of IDR 191.80 billion; PT Palmina Utama in Banjar, South Kalimantan with a total value of IDR 22.29 billion.

Furthermore, PT Jatim Jaya Perkasa in Rokan Hilir, Riau with a total decision value of IDR 491.02 billion, PT Kallista Alam in Nagan Raya, Aceh with a total value of IDR 366.06 billion, PT Surya Panen Subur in Nagan Raya, Aceh with a total value of IDR 439.01 billion, and PT Nasional Sago Prima in Meranti, Riau with a total value of IDR 1.07 trillion.

The seven preparatory execution companies are PT Agro Tumbuh Gemilang Abadi in Tanjung Jabung Timur, Jambi with a verdict value of IDR 590.54 billion, PT Rambang Agro Jaya in Ogan Komering Ilir, South Sumatra with a total value of IDR 199.56 billion, PT Arjuna Utama Sawit with a total value of IDR 342.97 billion, PT Kalimantan Lestari Mandiri in Kuala Kapuas, Central Kalimantan with a total value of IDR 299.95 billion.

Then, PT Kaswari Unggul in Tanjung Jabung Timur, Jambi with a total decision value of IDR 25.61 billion; PT Kumai Sentosa in West Kotawaringin, Central Kalimantan with a total value of IDR 175.18 billion, and PT Rafi Kamajaya Abadi in Melawai, West Kalimantan with a total value of IDR 920.01 billion.

Rasio revealed that of the seven companies in the execution process, two of them had stated their commitment to carry out compensation and environmental restoration measures in accordance with the court's decision.

The two companies are PT Kallista Alam (KA) and Surya Panen Subur (SPS) located in Nagan Raya Regency, Aceh Province.

"We are processing the executions of the two companies," said Rasio.

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry continues to monitor hotspots continuously from January to August 2023. This monitoring activity is an effort to anticipate forest and land fires in Indonesia.

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry has sent 99 warning letters to companies with indications of hotspots with a confidence level above 79 percent.

"Our team works 24 hours monitoring through satellite which locations have hotspots, especially on concession land," said Rasio.