KPK to investigate Monsanto bribery case<\/p>\n
Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
JAKARTA: The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) said it was
\nready to investigate a bribery case involving U.S.-based Monsanto
\nCo., one of the world's leading developers of genetically
\nmodified crops.<\/p>\n
Erry Riyana Hardjapamekas, the KPK deputy chairman, said on
\nSaturday that the commission is scheduled to meet lawyers
\nrepresenting Monsanto soon.<\/p>\n
\"They have promised to cooperate,\" he said, referring to a
\nmeeting between KPK and Monsanto's lawyers last year.<\/p>\n
According to Erry, his commission had sent official letters to
\nthe United States Securities and Exchange Commission as well as
\nthe Department of Justice, via the U.S. Embassy in Indonesia, but
\nthere had not yet been a response.<\/p>\n
The commission will focus on the bribery case, which allegedly
\ninvolved a significant number of senior officials with the Office
\nof the State Minister for Environment and the agriculture
\nministry here, he added.<\/p>\n
Monsanto, which was charged with violating the U.S. Foreign
\nCorrupt Practices Act, has agreed to pay a US$1 million penalty
\nto settle charges of bribing Indonesian government officials.<\/p>\n
According to the website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange
\nCommission, the bribery case started in 1998 when Monsanto wanted
\nIndonesia to accept genetically-modified (GM) crops.<\/p>\n
It hired a Jakarta-based investment consulting firm to lobby
\nfor legislation and ministerial decrees favorable to the
\ndevelopment of GM crops here.<\/p>\n
\"In February of 2001, Monsanto obtained limited approval from
\nIndonesia's Ministry of Agriculture, for farmers in South
\nSulawesi, Indonesia, to grow its Bollgard Cotton, a GM crop,\" the
\nwebsite said.<\/p>\n
But later in the year, the environment ministry issued a
\ndecree requiring environmental impact assessment prior to the
\ncultivation of the Monsanto's Bollgard Cotton in this country.<\/p>\n
As the decree was likely to have an adverse effect on
\nMonsanto's business interests in Indonesia, Monsanto lobbied the
\nenvironment ministry to withdraw the decree. People from
\nMonsanto met with a senior environment ministry official on
\nseveral occasions.<\/p>\n
Sometime in February 2002, an employee of the consulting firm
\nwhich represented Monsanto visited the senior official at his
\nhome and gave him an envelope containing $50,000 in $100 bills.<\/p>\n
Despite the cash payment, the senior official never repealed
\nthe AMDAL requirement for Monsanto's products.<\/p>\n
The website also disclosed that from 1997 to 2002, Monsanto
\nmade at least $700,000 in illicit payments to at least 140
\ncurrent and former Indonesian government officials and their
\nfamily members.<\/p>\n
The largest single set of payments was for the purchase of
\nland and the design and construction of a house in the name of a
\nwife of a senior Ministry of Agriculture official, which cost
\nMonsanto $373,990.<\/p>\n
Other improper payments included, among others, payments to a
\nsenior official of Budget Allocations at the National Planning
\nand Development Agency (Bappenas), totaling $86,690, and payments
\nto other Ministry of Agriculture officials, totaling $8,100.<\/p>\n
Officials of the South Sulawesi office of the agriculture
\nministry also received approximately $29,500 from Monsanto.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/kpk-to-investigate-monsanto-bribery-case-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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