Indonesia jails ex-trade miner for 4.5 years over sugar graft case | World News

A court in Jakarta has jailed Indonesia’s former trade miner Thomas Trikasih Lembong for four‑and‑a‑half years for wrongly giving private firms the right to import sugar, Reuters reported on Friday.
Judge Purwanto S. Abdullah told the corruption court, “The defendant was proven legally and convincingly to be guilty of having committed a corruption act,” according to Reuters.
Prosecutors said the permits caused state losses of almost 600 billion rupiah (£21 million). They had asked for a seven‑year term but the judges said Lembong did not take any money for himself, so they gave a shorter sentence.
Story continues below this ad

The court also heard that in 2015 Indonesia produced 2.49 million tonnes of sugar while domestic use was 2.12 million tonnes, meaning there was no need for extra imports.
‘I may appeal’
Speaking after the verdict, Lembong raised his cuffed hands and said, “I will consider whether to appeal. The judges ignored my defence team,” Reuters quoted him as saying. His lawyer Ari Yusuf Amir did not reply to a Reuters request for comment.
Political backdrop
Lembong was trade miner in 2015‑16 under President Joko Widodo, widely known as Jokowi. After leaving office he became a critic of the government and last year ran the election campaign of opposition candidate Anies Baswedan. The election was won in a landslide Prabowo Subianto, backed Jokowi.
Lembong was arrested days after Prabowo took office. In court he argued the case was politically driven. Prosecutors denied any political motive.Story continues below this ad
Court’s reasoning
The judges said Lembong granted the permits without consulting other state bodies and placed “capitalic interests over social justice”. They ruled the process broke official rules even though he did not gain personally. Lembong now has the right to appeal to a higher court.
(With inputs from Reuters)