DKI High Court Increases Sentence for Wilmar Executive Syafei to 8 Years in Prison

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The DKI Jakarta High Court has increased the sentence for Muhammad Syafei, Head of Social Security Legal at Wilmar Group, in the bribery case of the judge who acquitted three crude palm oil (CPO) corporations, from six years to eight years in prison.

“The sentence imposed on the Defendant M Syafei is therefore eight years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rp 500 million subsidiary 140 days,” reads the decision as quoted from the Central Jakarta District Court Case Search Information System website, Thursday (23/4/2026).

Decision number 13/PID.SUS-TPK/2026/PT DKI was read out in an open hearing on Monday (20/4/2026).

The panel of judges stated that Syafei was not proven to have committed the crime of money laundering (TPPU) as charged by the Public Prosecutors (JPU) in the second indictment.

At the first-instance court, Syafei was found guilty of bribery and sentenced to six years’ imprisonment with a fine of Rp 300 million subsidiary 100 days’ imprisonment.

He was proven to have bribed the panel of judges and court officials handling the Wilmar Group corruption case and others.

This act was carried out jointly with two lawyers, Marcella Santoso and Ariyanto.

Meanwhile, Ariyanto was sentenced to 16 years’ imprisonment with a fine of Rp 600 million subsidiary 150 days’ imprisonment.

The judges are convinced that Marcella, Ariyanto, and Syafei violated Article 6 Paragraph 1 letter a in conjunction with Article 18 of Law No. 31/1999 on the Eradication of Corruption in conjunction with Article 56 Paragraph 1 first of the Criminal Code.

Marcella and Ariyanto are also believed to have committed TPPU and violated Article 3 of Law No. 8 of 2010 on the Prevention and Eradication of TPPU in conjunction with Article 55 Paragraph 1 first of the Criminal Code.

Ariyanto received US$4 million (equivalent to Rp 52 billion) from the corporate side.

However, Ariyanto took US$2 million from this bribe money to store and enjoy together with Marcella Santoso.

This money was then distributed to five defendants from the court apparatus.

They are former South Jakarta District Court Chief, Muhammad Arif Nuryanta; former Junior Registrar of Civil Affairs at North Jakarta District Court, Wahyu Gunawan; and three judges handling the CPO case, Djuyamto, Agam Syarif Baharuddin, and Ali Muhtarom, to issue acquittal verdicts for their clients.

Currently, the DKI High Court is still examining the case files for appeals in the names of Marcella Santoso and Ariyanto.