The Attorney General’s Office Names Four Suspects in Palm Oil Export Case

BOGOR-TODAY.COM, JAKARTA – The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has named a suspect in the case of granting crude palm oil (CPO) export facilities. There are four suspects who have been named, namely the Director General of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Trade Indrasari Wisnu Whardana, the Commissioner of PT Wilmar Nabati Indonesia with the initials MPT, the Senior Manager for Corporate Affairs of the Permata Hijau Group (PHG) with the initials SMA, and the General Manager at PT Musim Mas with the initials PT.

The Attorney General ST Burhanuddin said that the suspect was suspected of having a malicious conspiracy with the applicant to carry out the export approval issuance process. Where, the Ministry of Trade has the authority to issue the export permit.

“Indrasari Wisnu Whardana as an official at the Ministry of Trade issued permits against the law regarding export approvals to the three companies. The suspects were immediately detained for the first 20 days, said Burhanuddin as quoted by cnnindonesia.com, Tuesday (19/4/20202).

Burhanuddin said, previously investigators issued an Investigation Order for the Director of Investigation of the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes Number: Prin-17/F.2/Fd.2/04/2022 dated April 4, 2022.

Burhanuddin explained that the investigation by the prosecutor had been carried out since March 14, 2022. During the investigation, the prosecutor examined 14 witnesses and documents related to the granting of export facilities.

“This case relates to the issuance of export approvals to exporters who should not have received permits because they did not meet the requirements of DMO (Domestic Market Obligation) and DPO (Domestic Price Obligation),” explained Burhanuddin.

Wealth of Indrasari Vishnu Whardana

Wisnu’s wealth data was submitted to the KPK on March 19, 2021 while serving as Expert Staff for Business Climate and Inter-Agency Relations at the Ministry of Trade.

Reporting from the elhkpn.kpk.go.id website, Tuesday (19/4/2022), Indrasari Wisnu Whardana has movable and immovable assets. He owns three plots of land and buildings with an estimated value of Rp.3,350,000,000.

“The total assets are IDR 4,487,912,637,” as quoted from the KPK elhkpn website

Responding to the case, the Minister of Trade, Muhammad Lutfi, emphasized that his party supports the ongoing legal process. The ranks of the Ministry of Trade will cooperate in providing any required information.

“The Ministry of Trade supports the current legal process. The Ministry of Trade is also ready to always provide information needed in the law enforcement process,” said Lutfi.

The response of the Deputy Chairperson of Commission III of the DPR RI

Deputy Chairman of Commission III of the DPR RI Ahmad Sahroni admitted that he was saddened by the suspect in the case of granting crude palm oil (CPO) export facilities, which turned out to be the Director General of Foreign Trade (Dirjen Daglu) of the Ministry of Trade (Kemendag) Indrasari Wisnu Wardhana.

Sahroni said the figures who had been named as suspects in the case were the real oil mafia.

“It is very sad and sad, because it turns out that the perpetrators are people at the Ministry of Trade themselves whose actions actually harm the people,” said Sahroni.

“They are the real oil mafia. Therefore, we appreciate the courage of the AGO to uncover this case,” he added.

Sahroni hopes that the determination of the suspect that has been carried out by the AGO can serve as a warning to other cooking oil mafias not to do the same.

“Now, we know who the cooking oil mafia is who is very detrimental to the people. Hopefully this will serve as a warning to other mafias to hurry to repent, and hopefully cooking oil prices can return to normal soon,” said Sahroni.

No Selective

Similarly, member of Commission III of the Indonesian House of Representatives Didik Mukrianto asked the AGO not to be selective in investigating cases of granting crude palm oil export facilities to the Ministry of Trade.

“Seeing the moral hazard that has occurred recently related to cooking oil which has made people face a scarcity of cooking oil and a difficult situation, law enforcement cannot be selective, it cannot be lengthy,” said Didik.

“Not only at the level of the director general. If there is a real violation in the bureaucratic circle of the Ministry of Trade, it must be dealt with firmly and processed according to the applicable law,” he continued.

In addition, he continued, all parties involved and being part of the cooking oil mafia which makes it difficult for the community must also be completely dismantled and brushed off. According to the Democrat Party politician, the scarcity of cooking oil in Indonesia is unreasonable.

“It really doesn’t make sense, there are dead rats in the rice barn. How can we, the biggest CPO producer, experience a cooking oil shortage if we don’t play around with the mafia,” he said.

Furthermore, Didik mentioned the attitude of President Joko Widodo, who was furious with the inability of the Minister of Home Affairs Muhammad Lutfi in solving the cooking oil problem.

On that basis, according to him, the cooking oil mafia game must be stopped and eradicated immediately by ensnaring all the perpetrators. (*)