Tom Lembong: I'm Not An Angel, A Hero And Human Seempurna

JAKARTA - The Minister of Trade (Mendag) for the 2015 '2016 period Thomas Trikasih Lembong (Tom Lembong) said he was not an angel, a hero, or a perfect human in the alleged corruption case of sugar imports.

"In fact, I am a human being full of imperfections. I am just an ordinary citizen who happens to be blessed with a lot of sustenance during my life," said Tom Lembong when reading the plea or defense note at the trial at the Jakarta Corruption Court (Tipikor), Wednesday, July 9.

Nevertheless, he admitted that he was inspired by residents who were full of courage to face the authorities, even facing armed officers, in order to fight for their rights and fight for truth and justice.

Tom Lembong assessed that so far too many leaders in Indonesia have been faced with threats, but are immediately beaten and give in.

In the past year, according to him, all parties have seen students, professors, fishermen, mothers, and ordinary citizens, with confidence and courage to challenge lies, reject manipulation, and protest injustice.

To that end, Tom Lembong said he was just loyal to the ranks of the residents who had such extraordinary conscience.

"I know that you do it for the sake of your husband, for the sake of your wife, for the sake of your children, for the sake of parents or thanks to religious teachings and conscience calls. I can only follow the example of ladies and gentlemen," he said.

Tom Lembong was dragged into the defendant in the alleged corruption case of sugar importation at the Ministry of Trade in 2015 '2016.

In that case, he was charged with imprisonment for 7 years and a fine of Rp. 750 million, provided that if the fine was not paid, it would be replaced (subsidiary) with imprisonment for 6 months.

Tom Lembong was charged with causing state financial losses of Rp578.1 billion, among others, for issuing an import recognition letter or approval of imports of raw crystal sugar for the 2015'2016 period to 10 companies without being based on inter-ministerial coordination meetings and without any recommendations from the Ministry of Industry.

The letter of import recognition or approval of imports of raw crystal sugar for the 2015'2016 period to the parties is allegedly given to import raw crystal sugar to be processed into white crystal sugar, even though Tom Lembong knows the company has no right to process raw crystal sugar into white crystal sugar because the company is a refined sugar company.

He is also said to have not appointed a state-owned company (BUMN) to control the availability and stabilization of sugar prices, but to appoint the Kartika Cooperative Identification (Inkopkar), the Main Cooperative of the Indonesian National Police (Inkoppol), the Indonesian National Police Cooperative Center (Puskopol), and the TNI/Polri Employee Welfare Cooperative Unit (SKKP).

For his actions, Tom Lembong is threatened with a crime as regulated in Article 2 paragraph (1) or Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended and supplemented by Law Number 20 of 2001 jo. Article 55 paragraph (1) 1st of the Criminal Code.