On August 1, 2016 the Corruption Court of the Medan District Court in North Sumatera held the first hearing against the disgraced Governor of North Sumatera Gatot Pujo Nugroho on the allegation of the Gatot’s deliberate misuse of social assistance funds. This case is being investigated by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) together with the North Sumatera High Court. At the hearing, the Public Prosecutors read out the indictment against Gatot.

On July 23, 2016, an offshore services provider Otto Marine Limited (SGX: G4F) announced that its shipyard subsidiary in Batam, PT Batamec Shipyard, had commenced proceedings in the High Court of Singapore and arrested a vessel named “Ratna Blessing”. The lawsuit was filed against RS Marine Investments Pte Ltd, the owner of the vessel, which reportedly failed to make payments for the services given by Batamec. On July 25, 2016, however, Otto Marine decided to release “Ratna Blessing”.

The creditors of PT Dwi Aneka Jaya Kemasindo Tbk (DAJK) provides another opportunity for the corrugated carton company to revise their peace proposals in the process of Suspension of Payment (PKPU). This decision was taken on the last meeting of creditors on July 28, 2016. DAJK initially requested for additional 90 days, but the creditors agreed to give additional 60 days for DAJK.

In just three months after officially entering the period of Suspension of Debts Payment (PKPU), the peace proposal draft presented by PT Geo Cepu Indonesia (Geo Cepu), the partner of PT Pertamina EP, was finally accepted by the majority of its creditors. With this result, Geo Cepu only has to wait for the decision of the Panel of Judges at the Commercial Court of Central Jakarta District Court to come to terms with its creditors and to be free from PKPU.

Simultaneously with the issuance of the Regulation of the Minister of Manpower (Permenaker) No. 20/2016 on administrative sanctions for employers, the Ministry of Manpower also issued Permenaker No. 21/2016 on the Decent Standard of Living (KHL) Index. As with any other rules governing the rights and obligations of workers, the Permenaker 21/2016 sparked a negative reaction at the grass root level.

The Ministry of Manpower has issued the Regulation of the Minister of Manpower (Permenaker) No. 20/2016 that regulates the procedures of granting administrative sanctions to employers as per the mandate of Government Regulation (PP) No. 78/2015 on Wage System. Some workers organizations, however, are concerned that the Permenaker 20/2016 will make irrelevant the provisions regarding criminal offense made by employers as stipulated in Law No. 13/2003 on Manpower.

After being delayed for nearly half a year, last week the Ministry of Industry completed and published 3 new Ministerial Regulations (Permens) that are parts of the deregulation program outlined in the Government’s Eighth Economic Policy Package. The main objective of the publication of the three Permens is cultivating the domestic industry as the main engine of national economic growth. The following is a brief explanation of these policies:

Last week, the Singapore High Court published the verdict on the breach of contract lawsuit filed by Shenzhen Kenouxin Electronic Co Ltd. The dispute was filed against an individual named Heliyanto, who worked for a Singaporean company called Express Logic Pte Ltd and an Indonesian company called PT Mega Mandiri Batam. In the verdict read on July 21, 2016, Senior Judge Lai Siu Chiu decided to dismissed SKE’s claim.

Minister of Marine and Fisheries Susi Pudjiastuti was enraged by the report published in several media outlets that questioned her integrity in handling the Benoa Bay reclamation project. On July 19, 2016 Minister Susi took to Twitter to question the motive of the publication of said reports. And later on July 20, 2016, the Ministry published a statement on the matter.