Forestry graft probe has no teeth: ICW<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government effort to probe prominent
\nbusinesspeople's alleged involvement in corruption in the
\nforestry sector is doomed to failure because of the probability
\ninvestigators are also corrupt, experts said.<\/p>\n
Coordinator of Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) Teten Masduki
\nsaid he doubted offenders would be tried and prosecuted despite
\nstrong evidence because the country's law officers could be
\n\"bought\".<\/p>\n
\"I doubt that any of the tycoons will be punished because the
\nattorneys and judges can easily be bribed. As long as (the former
\npresident) Soeharto lives, none of his family or acquaintances
\ncan be touched by law officers,\" he told The Jakarta Post
\nrecently.<\/p>\n
Director of Forest Watch Indonesia Abdon Nababan also
\nexpressed skepticism, saying that the process of verifying
\ndocuments and collecting hard evidence was hampered by the
\nuncooperative attitude of officials at the Ministry of Forestry
\nand Plantations.<\/p>\n
He told the Post on Saturday many ministry officials were
\naccustomed to taking bribes.<\/p>\n
\"Many officials are afraid the investigation of the corruption
\ncases will lead to (evidence of) their own involvement,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He called on the ministry to first deal with its corrupt
\nofficials before going into battle against powerful timber
\ncompanies.<\/p>\n
Teten and Abdon were commenting on the ongoing investigation
\ninto timber magnates Mohamad \"Bob\" Hasan, Probosutedjo and
\nPrayogo Pangestu and the eldest daughter of former president
\nSoeharto, Siti Hardijanti \"Tutut\" Rukmana by the Attorney
\nGeneral's Office on allegations of corruption, collusion and
\nnepotism, known locally by the acronym KKN, under the patronage
\nof Soeharto.<\/p>\n
The office has put Bob Hasan in custody since early this month
\nas a suspect for US$87 million in misuse of reforestation funds
\nthrough his forest aerial mapping company PT Mapindo Parama.<\/p>\n
The office has also begun an investigation of Tutut's younger
\nbrother Hutomo \"Tommy\" Mandala Putra for allegedly diverting Rp
\n54 billion ($6.9 million) of the forestry ministry's project
\nfunds through his air charter company PT Gatari Air Service.<\/p>\n
Several officials, including former ministers of forestry and
\nplantations Hasrul Harahap and Djamaludin Soerjohadikusumo, have
\nbeen questioned in relation to Hasan's case.<\/p>\n
The Ministry of Forestry and Plantations recently revealed the
\nnames of 12 high-ranking officials who were allegedly involved in
\ncollusion and bribery with Hasan.<\/p>\n
Minister of Forestry and Plantations Nur Mahmudi Ismail said
\nin early April that several businesspeople currently under
\ninvestigation attempted to hamper the process by lobbying and
\nattempting to bribe officials both at his office and at the
\nAttorney General's Office.<\/p>\n
Mahmudi also said that someone had tried to bribe him by
\ntransferring some Rp 25 billion to his bank account.<\/p>\n
Teten said he believed the tycoons were guilty of corruption.<\/p>\n
\"It's impossible for them to obtain such oversize timber
\nplantation areas if it were not for their close association with
\nSoeharto.\"<\/p>\n
He said the four tycoons' timber companies controlled about 58
\nmillion hectares, or about 30 percent of the country's total
\nforest areas allocated for timber plantations or industrial
\nforest estates.<\/p>\n
He argued it would not be difficult to bring the cases to
\ntrial because the documents and evidence were already in hand. He
\nadded both the ICW and the ministry conducted investigations and
\ncollected sufficient data.<\/p>\n
According to the ministry's investigative report, which Teten
\nsaid the ministry had tried to conceal, Hasan along with Tutut,
\nPrayogo and Probosutedjo were allegedly involved in corruption
\nand misuse of reforestation funds totaling Rp 784 billion. (cst)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/forestry-graft-probe-has-no-teeth-icw-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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