The Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) said it was focusing on preparations to face the pretrial trial of Thomas Trikasih Lembong (TTL) or Tom Lembong, a suspect in the 2015–2016 sugar import corruption case.
This statement answered the media crew’s question about whether the AGO would examine other trade ministers after Tom Lembong, who was Minister of Trade for the 2015–2016 period.
“Regarding Mr. Tom Lembong’s case, the investigation is ongoing. Last I heard there was a pre-trial, so let’s follow it first,” said the Director of Investigations at the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) at the Attorney General’s Office, Abdul Qohar, in a press conference at the Attorney General’s Building, Jakarta, today.
He admitted that until now, his party had not received a notification letter from the court regarding the pretrial hearing.
Nevertheless, he said, currently his party is focusing on facing the pretrial hearing and will continue the ongoing investigation.
“So, for the investigation, we will follow what developments will be. In time, we will see together later in the trial process,” he said.
Previously, the head of the legal team for suspect Tom Lembong, Ari Yusuf Amir, asked the Attorney General’s Office to examine the Minister of Trade for the next period regarding this case.
“This investigation is related to sugar imports at the Ministry of Trade in 2015–2023, meaning they have to investigate until 2023,” said Ari on Tuesday (5/11).
Ari said it was important that the Minister of Trade for the next period also be questioned so as not to raise questions. Moreover, Tom Lembong’s term of office as Minister of Trade was only one year, namely 2015-2016.
“Until Mr. Thomas Lembong became a suspect and was detained, no other ministers were questioned. What does that mean? Please translate it yourself,” he said.
It is known that two suspects have been named in the alleged sugar import corruption case in 2015–2016, namely Thomas Trikasih Lembong (TTL) or Tom Lembong as Minister of Trade for the 2015–2016 period and CS as Director of Business Development of PT Perusahaan Dagang Indonesia.
In his statement, the Attorney General said that this case began when Tom Lembong, as Minister of Trade at that time, gave permission to import 105,000 tons of raw crystal sugar to PT AP to be processed into white crystal sugar.
In fact, in an inter-ministerial coordination meeting (rakor) on 12 May 2015 it was concluded that Indonesia was experiencing a sugar surplus, so there was no need for sugar imports.
The AGO said that the import approval issued was not carried out through coordination with the relevant agencies and without any recommendation from the Ministry of Industry to determine domestic sugar needs. (Ant/P-2)
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**Interview with Abdul Qohar, Director of Investigations at the Attorney General’s Office**
**Editor:** Thank you for joining us today, Mr. Qohar. Your office has been quite active regarding the case of Thomas Lembong. Can you update us on the current status of the investigation and the upcoming pretrial hearing?
**Abdul Qohar:** Thank you for having me. As you mentioned, we are currently focused on preparing for the pretrial hearing of Mr. Tom Lembong, who is involved in the sugar import corruption case from 2015-2016. Although we haven’t received any official notification from the court about the pretrial hearing yet, our team is fully engaged in readying ourselves for that process.
**Editor:** There’s been some inquiry into whether other former trade ministers will be investigated. Can you comment on that?
**Abdul Qohar:** Right now, our primary focus is on Mr. Lembong’s case. While inquiries from the media and the public regarding other trade ministers are valid, we are currently concentrating our efforts on the existing case and following through on our ongoing investigation.
**Editor:** Tom Lembong’s legal team has called for an examination of trade ministers from later years. How does the Attorney General’s Office plan to address these suggestions?
**Abdul Qohar:** The suggestion to look into the actions of subsequent trade ministers is noted, but our immediate priority is to gather all pertinent information regarding the current investigation before considering any expansions to our scope. We will take things one step at a time.
**Editor:** What can the public expect in terms of transparency and updates about the case as it progresses?
**Abdul Qohar:** We understand that this case holds significant public interest, and we aim to remain transparent. As the pretrial hearing unfolds, we will provide updates on any developments. It’s important for the public to understand that we are committed to investigating this matter thoroughly and impartially.
**Editor:** Thank you for your insights, Mr. Qohar. We appreciate you taking the time to clarify these issues.
**Abdul Qohar:** Thank you for having me. We assure the public that we are dedicated to upholding the law and ensuring justice in this case.