Proven Corruption Imports Sugar, Tom Lembong Sentenced To 4.5 Years In Prison

Tom Lembong/ANTARA PHOTO/Sulthony Hasanuddin/tom

JAKARTA - Former Minister of Trade (Mendag) Thomas Trikasih Lembong alias Tom Lembong was found guilty in the 2015-2016 sugar import corruption case. The panel of judges sentenced Tom Lembong to 4.5 years in prison.

"The defendant Thomas Trikasih Lembong has been sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison," said judge Dannie Arsan during a trial at the Jakarta Corruption Court, Friday, July 18.

In addition to imprisonment, the panel of judges also imposed a fine on Tom Lembong. The value reaches Rp. 750 million.

The criminal fine was given on the condition that if it was not paid, it would be replaced with imprisonment for six months.

"With the provision that if the fine is not paid, it will be replaced with imprisonment for 6 months," said Hakim Dannie.

In the verdict, Tom Lembong's actions were deemed to have violated Article 2 paragraph (1) or Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended and supplemented by Law Number 20 of 2001 in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) 1st of the Criminal Code.

It is known that the verdict given by the panel of judges was lower than the demands of the Public Prosecutor (JPU), which was 7 years in prison.

In the lawsuit, Tom Lembong was considered to have harmed state finances amounting to Rp578.1 billion, among others, for issuing a letter of recognition of imports 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).