Forest And Land Burning Cases In Jambi, KLHK Appreciates PT Kaswari Unggul's Legal Decision Of IDR 25 Billion

The condition of forest and land fires is in the concession of PT Kaswari Unggul in Tanjung Jabung Timur, Jambi Province. (ANTARA-HO-Ministry of Environment and Forestry)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) appreciates the decision of the Supreme Court (MA) judges who rejected the request for a review of PT Kaswari Unggul.

Thus, PT Kaswari Unggul was sentenced to a fine of Rp. 25.52 billion in the case of this forest and land burning company in Jambi.

"The rejection of the Supreme Court's request for reconsideration shows that the Ministry of Environment and Forestry is not playing games against corporations that are not serious in carrying out good corporate governance in the field of environmental management, especially forest and land fires," said Director of Environmental Dispute Settlement of the Ministry of Environment, Jasmin Ragil Utomo, in a statement, Thursday, November 2, confiscated by Antara.

On October 30, 2023, the Supreme Court rejected the request for a review of PT Kaswari Unggul.

PT Kaswari Unggul's request for a review began with the KLKH lawsuit at the South Jakarta District Court on September 4, 2018.

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry sued the company for a 129.18 hectare land fire in 2015 at the Kaswari Unggul concession located in Muara Sabak District and Muara Sabak Barat District, Tanjung Jabung Timur Regency, Jambi Province.

On December 5, 2019, the South Jakarta District Court issued a ruling punishing Kaswari Unggul to pay compensation and carry out certain actions amounting to Rp25.52 billion consisting of material compensation of Rp15.75 billion and environmental restoration measures of Rp9.76 billion.

Kaswari Unggul did not accept the decision of the South Jakarta District Court, then filed a legal action through an appeal.

On July 13, 2020, the Jakarta High Court Panel of Judges rejected Kaswari Unggul's appeal. Then, the company made an appeal to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court Panel of Judges has decided case number 2610 K/PDT/2021 on November 29, 2022, with the envoy rejecting the appeal from the cassation applicant Kaswari Unggul.

The Supreme Court rejected the request for a review submitted by Kaswari Unggul on October 30, 2023. The Supreme Court's decision made the decision of the South Jakarta District Court to have permanent legal force.

Ragil explained that the rejection of the Supreme Court's request for review provides lessons to every person in charge of business or activity not to burn in the opening or management of land.

"KLHK has sued 22 companies, 13 of which have legal force in the execution process," said Ragil, who serves as the attorney for the Minister of Environment and Forestry.

"The value of the Supreme Court's decision is in accordance with the value in the KLHK lawsuit filed at the South Jakarta District Court. We will prepare steps to execute the decision after receiving the resolution and copy of the Supreme Court's decision from the Central Jakarta District Court," he concluded.