Forest Crackdown: Komjak Urges Probe into Beneficial Owners
Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Judicial Commission (Komisi Kejaksaan/Komjak) has urged the Attorney General’s Office and the Forest Area Enforcement Task Force (Satgas PKH) to investigate beneficial owners in cases involving violations in forest areas, rather than taking action only against operational-level offenders.
Komjak chairman Pujiyono Suwandi said in Jakarta on Monday that law enforcement should reach the parties who control activities or benefit from the unlawful use of forest areas.
“We urge enforcement action to target the principal offenders, including beneficial owners, and not just those at the operational level,” Pujiyono said.
He said efforts by the Attorney General’s Office and Satgas PKH to trace those benefiting from forest-area violations were beginning to emerge in the handling of a mining case in Murung Raya, Central Kalimantan.
“The Attorney General’s Office has begun moving in that direction, and this deserves appreciation,” he said.
However, he cautioned that progress in bringing forest areas under control must be accompanied by accountability in law enforcement, the management of state revenues and the restoration of areas that have been reclaimed.
Komjak, he said, is authorised to oversee the performance and conduct of prosecutors and Attorney General’s Office employees, not to assess the government’s overall performance.
Komjak is paying attention to Satgas PKH’s work because the Attorney General’s Office plays an important role in enforcement and law enforcement.
“That is where we can offer our observations,” he said.
According to Attorney General’s Office data, the area concerned comprises 6,206,212.14 hectares of forest used for plantations and 14,633.79 hectares in the mining sector.
At the eighth handover on 6 October, Satgas PKH also transferred around Rp13.24 trillion in state revenue through the Ministry of Finance.
The funds comprised approximately Rp3.48 trillion in administrative forestry fines, Rp1.54 trillion in non-tax state revenue from the handling of special-crime cases, and around Rp8.23 trillion in tax revenue.
“This shows the state’s resolve and presence in bringing forest areas under control, and presidential support has played an important role,” Pujiyono said.
Komjak urged prosecutors to carry out their duties professionally, without selective enforcement or conflicts of interest.
It also said administrative fines must be collected and state revenues deposited transparently and in a manner that can be audited.
Pujiyono further cautioned that forest-area enforcement must protect the rights of small communities and plasma smallholders through procedures that provide legal certainty.
He said reclaiming forest areas was not enough unless followed by restoration and management in line with their designated purposes.
“We will continue to monitor the process, and we are ready to receive public complaints concerning prosecutors’ duties in this enforcement effort,” Pujiyono said.