South Sumatra Prosecutor's Office Handles 29 Individual And Corporate Karhutla Cases

Forest and land fires in the South Sumatra region (ANTARA/Yudi Abdullah/23)

PALEMBANG - The South Sumatra High Prosecutor's Office (Kejati) in November 2023 handled 29 cases of forest and land fires (karhutla) either carried out individually or by companies / corporates.

"The handling of the case was marked by a report on the start of an investigation warrant (SPDP) of 28 individual actors and one PT BKI corporate SPDP located in Musi Banyuasin (Muba) Regency," said South Sumatra Attorney General's Office for Legal Information Vanny Yulia Eka Sari in Palembang as reported by ANTARA, Friday, November 3.

He explained, from the number of SPDPs, the perpetrators of forest and land fires who are currently under investigation or to the legal prosecution stage reached 40 people.

Based on SPDP reports from a number of District Attorneys in South Sumatra, the highest cases of forest fires were found in Ogan Komering Ilir (OKI) Regency.

Based on the SPDP report, there were eight forest and land fires cases handled from OKI Regency, then, Lubuk Linggau City had six cases.

Musi Banyuasin Regency has four cases, Banyuasin has two cases, Ogan Ilir has one case and Penukal Abab Lematang Ilir (Pali) Regency has one case, he said.

According to Vanny, the perpetrators of forest and land fires as received by the SPDP are mostly suspected of violating the laws, especially regarding environmental protection and management.

The perpetrators of forest and land fires, both individuals and corporations, will be processed in accordance with legal provisions and it is hoped that these law enforcement actions can provide a deterrent effect for the perpetrators and provide warnings to other communities or companies not to burn during the dry season.

"The activity of burning forests and land during the dry season for any benefit is strictly prohibited because smoke can cause disturbances in various community activities and health," said Kasipenkum of the South Sumatra Attorney General's Office.