Malaysian businessman sentenced for plantation fires

Haidir Anwar Tanjung The Jakarta Post Riau

The Supreme Court has upheld the Riau High Court's decision to sentence a Malaysian businessman named Goby to eight months imprisonment, and to fine him Rp 100 million (US$10,000) for ground fires that occurred at his palm oil plantation in the province in 1999.

Rosian, chief of the legal department of the local office of the Environmental Management Agency (Bapedalda), said his department had received the Supreme Court's decision on Wednesday but he did not know when the decision would be executed.

The sentence was lighter than the verdict of the Pekanbaru District Court, which sentenced the defendant to two years imprisonment. The defendant, who is also president of PT Adei Plantation and Industry, was found guilty of setting fires in his plantation in contravention of Law No. 23/1997 on the environment.

A total of 17 fires were found when a team from the local Bapedalda office conducted an investigation into the plantation.

Goby rejected the trial court's verdict and appealed to the High Court.

Both Goby's lawyer Mohamat Yahmin and the High Court said that they had yet to receive transcripts of the Supreme Court's verdict.

Dipuan Siallagan, spokesman for the High Court, said the decision would be executed as soon as he received the transcript of the verdict.

Indonesia has been blamed for exporting haze on an annual basis to neighboring countries, especially Singapore and Malaysia.

Yahmin said that he would apply for a review of the Supreme Court's ruling as the decision was misconceived.

"During the legal process in the local district court, none of the 12 witnesses gave testimony implicating my client. My client is only the general manager and was not directly involved in setting the fires," Yahmin said

Yahmin added that the case had been politicized by the government in an attempt to escape blame for the thick haze that has annually affected a major part of Southeast Asia.