KLHK Pursues Compensation For Karhutla Case Involves 18 Companies, Value Reaches IDR 6.1 Trillion

Director General of Gakkum KLHK Ratio Ridho Sani (left) in a press conference at the KLHK Jakarta Office, Friday (12/7/2024) (ANTARA/Prisca Triferna)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) is processing the execution of environmental compensation payments related to cases of forest and land fires (karhutla) from 18 companies with a total of Rp6.1 trillion. The Director General of Law Enforcement (Gakkum) of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Rasio Ridho Sani, said that his party had sued 25 companies in the case of a civil lawsuit against 18 companies that already had permanent legal force or inkracht. "We will not stop pursuing or carrying out an execution process that supports the chairman of the court to accelerate the execution process related to the civil lawsuit that we have handled related to forest and land fires, approximately Rp. 6 trillion," said Director General of Law and Human Rights of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Ratio Ridho Sani at a press conference in Jakarta, Antara, Friday, July 12. In detail, he explained that of the 18 companies, as many as 10 companies were defendants in the execution process with a claim for loss and environmental restoration value of Rp3.7 trillion and eight companies were preparing for execution with a compensation value of Rp2.3 trillion. The most recent payment was made by PT National Sago Prima (NSP) which has paid compensation of Rp160 billion from the total compensation obligation of Rp319 billion for forest and land fires that occurred at the location of the Utilization Business License for Non-Evidence Forest Products (IUPHH-BK) with the type of sago plant. Ratio Ridho Sani mengatakan pembayaran tahap kedua oleh PT NSP akan dilakukan paling lambat pada 18 Desember 2024. In addition, this year's payment was also made by PT Surya Panen Subur in the amount of Rp68 billion and PT Kalista Alam paid a total compensation for forest and land fires of Rp114 billion plus paid forced money every day for the delay in the implementation of environmental recovery measures amounting to Rp8.2 billion. So far, non-tax state revenue (PNBP) related to forest and land fires compensation of Rp458 billion from Rp718 billion that has been deposited by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry into the state treasury.

"This is related to forest and land fires, which do not include other cases that we handle, such as pollution and destruction of coral reefs, environmental pollution. We continue to do that," he said.