Malaysian businessman sentenced for plantation fires

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.