Cassation Rejected, Lawyer Marcella Santoso Remains Sentenced to 15 Years in Prison
The Supreme Court (MA) has rejected the cassation petition of lawyer Marcella Santoso in the bribery case involving acquittal verdicts for the Crude Palm Oil (CPO) export case involving three corporations. Consequently, Marcella remains sentenced to 15 years in prison, and the legal status of the case is now final and binding (inkrah).
“The verdict of the cassation: Reject the Public Prosecutor’s cassation, reject the Defendant’s cassation,” stated the Supreme Court’s decision directory on Monday (14/9). The case, numbered 9819 K/PID.SUS/2026, was presided over by the Chief Justice of the Cassation Panel, Jupriyadi, alongside member judges Ainal Mardhiah and Arizon Mega Jaya.
At the appellate level, the Jakarta High Court (PT) DKI Jakarta increased Marcella’s sentence to 15 years in prison and a fine of Rp600 million, with a subsidiary of 150 days of imprisonment. The appellate court also ordered her to pay restitution amounting to Rp21.6 billion, a higher amount than the initial court ruling which had set the restitution at Rp16.2 billion.
The appellate judges ruled that Marcella was proven guilty of committing bribery in concert, as well as money laundering (TPPU). The court also ordered that the period of detention already served by the defendant be deducted from the total sentence.
Previously, the Corruption Court (Tipikor) at the Central Jakarta District Court had delivered verdicts for Marcella and other defendants on Tuesday, 3 March 2026. The other defendants included lawyer Ariyanto Bakri, who is Marcella’s husband, M Syafei (former Head of Social Security and License at Wilmar Group), and lawyer Junaedi Saibih.
Ariyanto Bakri was sentenced to 16 years in prison, a fine of Rp600 million, and restitution of Rp16.2 billion. The judges found that both Marcella and Ariyanto were guilty of bribing judges regarding the CPO export case and were also involved in money laundering using the surplus of the bribe money.
M Syafei was found guilty of participating in the bribery but was not proven to have committed money laundering. Meanwhile, Junaedi Saibih was acquitted of all charges as bribery was not proven against him.
The total bribe intended to secure acquittal verdicts for the CPO export case amounted to 4 million US dollars, or approximately Rp60 billion at the time of the bribe. Marcella and Ariyante personally enjoyed 2 million US dollars of the bribe money, while the remaining 2 million US dollars was passed to the former Chief of the South Jakarta District Court, M. Arif Nuryanta, via a clerk, before eventually flowing to the panel of judges—Djuyamto, Agam Syarief Baharuddin, and Ali Muhtarom—to ensure acquittals for the corporate defendants: Wilmar Group, Musim Mas Group, and Permata Hijau Group.