Losing The Appeal, Jokowi Remains Sentenced Toskripe Over Air Pollution

President Jokowi (doc. BPMI Setpres)

JAKARTA - The Jakarta High Court issued a decision on the appeal filed by President Joko Widodo and his ministers on the Jakarta air pollution lawsuit filed by citizens or citizens lawsuits.

The comparisons who are also defendants in this matter are Jokowi, Minister of Environment and Forestry, Minister of Home Affairs, and Minister of Health. While the ratio or plaintiff is 30 citizens.

The decision of the Jakarta High Court number 549/PDT.G-LH/2022/PT DKI dated October 17, 2022, has confirmed the decision of the Central Jakarta District Court (PN) with case number 374/Pdt.G/LH/2019/PN Jkt.Pst issued on September 16, 2021.

Where, the decision of the Central Jakarta District Court to win or grant most of the demands filed by 32 residents in a lawsuit related to air pollution in the capital city. Thus, Jokowi and his staff were again defeated in this case.

"Strengthening the decision of the Central Jakarta District Court Number 374/Pdt.G/LH/2019/PN Jkt.Pst dated September 16, 2021, which the appeal was requested for," reads a copy of the decision of the Jakarta High Court Judge led by Abdul Fattah, quoted on Friday, October 21.

The decision regarding air pollution began with a lawsuit of 32 residents submitted to the Central Jakarta District Court on July 4, 2019. In their petition, the plaintiffs requested that the defendants be proven to have violated human rights, because they were negligent in fulfilling the right to a good and healthy environment.

Then on Thursday, September 16, the panel of judges at the Central Jakarta District Court granted the citizens' lawsuit and sentenced five state officials to be guilty of air pollution in the capital city.

The five officials are the President of the Republic of Indonesia, the Minister of Environment and Forestry, the Minister of Health, the Minister of Home Affairs and the Governor of DKI Jakarta Province.

In their consideration, the panel of judges stated that the defendants had known that the air in DKI Jakarta had been polluted for years. However, stakeholders do not issue many policies to improve this.

The panel of judges found the five officials guilty to take a number of steps to improve air quality in Jakarta. Unlike President Jokowi and the ministers, at that time DKI Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan did not file an appeal and would carry out a court decision.