Three Indonesian Judges Arrested for Alleged Bribery in Palm Oil Export Scandal

[Ayodeji adebayo]

Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has detained three judges suspected of accepting bribes in a high-profile case involving illegal palm oil exports.

The AGO’s Director of Investigations, Abdul Qohar, confirmed the arrests on Monday, stating that Judges Agam Syarif Baharuddin, Ali Muhtarom, and Djuyamto were taken into custody late Sunday. They are accused of accepting bribes in return for acquitting three major companies—Wilmar Group, Permata Hijau Group, and Musim Mas Group—in the illegal crude palm oil (CPO) export case.

In March, the judges had ruled that the companies exported palm oil without government permits but controversially decided that the actions did not violate Indonesia’s criminal code, according to Jakarta Globe.

“They are fully aware that the payments were intended to secure a favourable ruling,” said Mr. Qohar.
He added that, following the questioning of seven witnesses, authorities gathered sufficient evidence to name the three judges as suspects.

The AGO revealed that in 2024, the judges allegedly received 4.5 billion Indonesian rupiah (approximately $268,111) in an initial transaction through former South Jakarta District Court Chief Muhammad Arif Nuryanta, followed by another 18 billion rupiah in a second payment.

“After the detainment of the judges, the total number of suspects in the case reached seven,” Mr. Qohar noted.
On Sunday, prosecutors had earlier identified four other suspects involved in the case:

Wahyu Gunawan, a clerk at the South Jakarta District Court,
Defence attorneys Marcella Santoso and Ariyanto,
and Mr. Nuryanta, the former court chief.

The companies in question—Wilmar Group, Permata Hijau Group, and Musim Mas Group—are accused of violating a temporary export ban on crude palm oil imposed in 2022 by then-President Joko Widodo, following a severe domestic shortage of cooking oil.

At the time, the government claimed to have lost approximately $10.9 million due to the illegal exports, citing the cost of subsidising local cooking oil prices to offset the shortage.

This recent development adds to a string of convictions from January 2023, when five individuals were sentenced to prison terms ranging from one to three years in connection with the illegal export scheme. Those convicted included:

Lin Che Wei, a well-known market analyst,
Indrasari Wisnu Wardhana, former Director-General of International Trade at the Ministry of Trade,
and business executives Parulian Tumanggor, Stanley MA, and Pierre Togar Sitanggang.

(RIA/NAN)

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