The Indonesian Attorney General’s Office has named Thomas Trikasih Lembong, the Minister of Trade for the 2015-2016 period, a suspect in a sugar import case.
Tom Lembong was the Minister of Trade from 2015 to 2016. At that time, he was said to have given a sugar import license to PT PPI’s Business Development Director, with the initials CS, who is also a suspect in this alleged sugar import corruption case.
The sugar import permit was granted by issuing an import permit for 105,000 tons of Raw Crystal Sugar in 2015.
Based on the results of the Coordination Meeting (Rakor) between Ministries on May 12, 2015, it was concluded that Indonesia is in a sugar surplus condition and does not need imports.
“The state loss due to sugar importation that is not in accordance with applicable laws and regulations is approximately Rp400 billion,” said Director of Investigation at the Attorney General’s Office for Special Crimes, Abdul Qohar, in a press conference on Tuesday, October 29, 2024.
Abdul Qohar explained that Tom Lembong issued eight private parties white crystal sugar import licenses. In fact, the rules only allow state-owned enterprises to import sugar.
“That the eight private companies that manage raw crystal sugar into white crystal sugar have industrial licenses to produce refined crystal sugar intended for the food, beverage and pharmaceutical industries,” he said.
Tom Lembong was threatened with life imprisonment
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Article 2, paragraph 1 states that every person who unlawfully commits an act of enriching themselves or others or a corporation that may harm the state finances or the state economy shall be sentenced to imprisonment for life or imprisonment for a minimum of 4 (four) years and a maximum of 20 (twenty) years and a fine of at least IDR 200,000,000.00 (two hundred million rupiah) and a maximum of IDR 1,000,000,000.00 (one billion rupiah).
Meanwhile, Article 3 reads that every person who, to benefit himself or herself or another person or a corporation, abuses the authority, opportunity or means available to him or her because of position or position that can harm state finances or the state economy, shall be punished with life imprisonment or imprisonment for a minimum of 1 (one) year and a maximum of 20 (twenty) years and or a fine of at least IDR 50,000,000.00 (fifty million rupiah) and a maximum of IDR 1,000,000,000.00 (one billion rupiah).
Who’s Tom Lembong’s Success Team in Presidential Candidate
Before being caught as a suspect in a corruption case, Tom Lembong often appeared in public because he was part of the structure of the Anies-Muhaimin success team in the 2024 presidential election. Tom Lembong was assigned to be the captain coordinator of the Anies-Muhaimin winning team.
The man who is familiarly called Tom Lembong is a businessman and investor who was born in Jakarta on March 4, 1971. Before his career in government, Tom Lembong, who graduated from Harvard University, worked at Singapore-based investment company Morgan Stanley in 1995 as an Equity Division.
Tom Lembong’s career in investment continued when he worked at Farindo Investment for three years, from 2002 to 2005. One of Anies Baswedan’s winning teams in the presidential election is also listed as founder, CEO, and Managing Partner at Quvat Management Pte. Ltd.
