Prosecutors arrest North Sumatra plantation tycoon

Prosecutors arrest North Sumatra plantation tycoon

Eva C. Komandjaja, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Attorney General's Office (AGO) arrested the founder and
president of plantation company PT Torganda, Daulat L. Sitorus,
for converting a protected forest into a plantation.

AGO spokesman RJ Soehandojo told The Jakarta Post that the
plantation tycoon was taken into custody by the AGO late on
Tuesday in Medan, North Sumatra, and immediately taken to Jakarta
for questioning.

"The suspect is being questioned right now. There is a
possibility that officials from related offices, such as the
National Land Agency (BPN), might be involved," Soehandojo said
on Wednesday.

Daulat has been charged with illegally transforming some
30,000 hectares of protected forest belonging to the state in
North Sumatra's South Tapanuli regency into an oil palm
plantation.

There is suspicion that BPN officials are involved in the
crime in that PT Torganda was issued a permit for the land.

Meanwhile, Minister of Forestry MS Kaban was quoted as saying
by Antara that state losses in the case could reach Rp 30.4
billion (about US$3.04 million). He did not elaborate.

He also said that Daulat should automatically be charged with
illegal logging as he had cleared land in the Padang Lawas
protected forest by fire.

Soehandojo said he had not received any information from the
prosecutors on when the crime had taken place or how Daulat had
obtained control of the protected forest, but according to the
Ministry of Forestry, it began in 1998.

"Pak Hendarman (Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes
Hendarman Supandji) told me he had ordered North Sumatra
Prosecutor's Office head Wisnu Subroto to arrest Daulat,"
Soehandojo said.

An arrest warrant for Daulat was issued by the AGO on July 4,
but he was only captured on Tuesday afternoon at a hotel in
Pematang Siantar, some 100 kilometers from Medan.