The prosecution stage in the case of alleged corruption in the Pemalang regency continues. This week, Pemalang Regent, Mukti Agung Wibowo, finally stands trial. Mukti is accused of accepting over Rp7.5 billion in grafts.  As we previously reported, the Corruption...

Four years ago, the dispute between Luxembourg’s Molucca Holdings S.à.r.l and PT Pelita Cengkareng Paper (PT PCP) emerged. Since then, the parties continued to exchange lawsuits. The dispute ended in Pelita Cengkareng’s victory. Last year we learned that another lawsuit was registered at the Commercial Court at the Central Jakarta District Court with the aim of having Pelita Cengkareng restructure its debts. The company still managed to resolve their dispute with peace agreement with the creditors. However the peaceful situation did not last long. From October 2022 until last week, multiple lawsuits were registered against PT PCP, all of which aimed to annul the peace agreement.

One of the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) biggest achievements this year was probably the revelation of the cooking oil scandal. However, what started as a shock to the nation, turned out to be less of a surprise in court. The public no longer paid much attention to the trial. The indictments for the defendants were read out in the last week of August 2022, and in just four months, towards the end of last week, the demands for the defendants were read out.

A business dispute involving companies under the CT Corp and Gudang Garam business group took place far from the media spotlight. This dispute has been examined in court for more than a year and now the latest court proceeding is ongoing at the Sidoarjo District Court. What happened?

Nearly 17 years ago, on May 29, 2006, the Lapindo mudflow in Porong, Sidoarjo regency, East Java, overflowed for the first time. It is known that the mudflow originated from an explosion on a gas drilling site owned by Lapindo Brantas Inc. As a result of the explosion, 16 villages in three sub-districts were submerged and had to be erased from the map. On top of that, at least 30 factories were forced to close. The company and the Government are still throwing responsibility at each other due to the complexity of this problem, victims must seek their own justice. This week, several companies filed a lawsuit against the President and the Minister of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR).

It has been over two years since the Ministry of Finance expanded the tax base by collecting Value Added Tax (VAT/PPN) for digital products in trading through the electronic system (PMSE). The number of collectors continues to increase, towards the end of this year, there are already 134 companies with the same set of responsibilities. The Government has received more than Rp9.6 trillion tax value in total and has issued an additional legal basis, which provides authority for the Government to appoint local collectors. Will this new legal basis be useful and contribute to the 2023 VAT/PPN revenue target?

Trial of corporate suspects in the corruption case involving State-owned insurance company PT Asuransi Jiwasraya (Persero) had ended. All companies have been found guilty and several parties decided to appeal. Unfortunately, the case, which started as a large-scale disclosure, did not produce the expected results. Most of the charges on suspicion of money laundering committed by the companies were not granted, to make things worse, the Panel of Appeal provided disappointing decisions. One company was even acquitted, giving a blow to the head for the Attorney General’s Office (AGO).

In the midst of all the criminal cases that occurred lately, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) continued to conduct Sting Operation in regions. Back in August 2022, the KPK uncovered a case of alleged corruption involving the Regent of Pemalang, Mukti Agung Wibowo. Trial of the first batch of defendants started soon after and the prosecutors had read their demands recently. Separately, KPK developed the investigation into the case in the Supreme Court and announced that they commenced investigation on a new case.

The case of alleged corruption in Garuda Indonesia was uncovered by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) nearly six years ago. This disclosure is the entry point for investigations into various violations that have occurred for many years within the State-owned airlines. Garuda Indonesia was forced to clean up. Four years after the KPK began its investigation, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) began a similar investigation but in a different case. So far, five suspects have been announced. The inquisition and prosecution stage for the first batch of suspects/defendants went far from media coverage. Recently, the prosecutors read out demands for three defendants.

In the middle of last week, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) conducted a Sting Operation in East Java and arrested several parties involved in a case of alleged bribery. A day later, the KPK announced a related case and named four suspects, including the deputy speaker of the East Java DPRD, Sahat Tua Simandjuntak (Golkar). East Java has had frequent encounters with the KPK, as if they were reluctant to learn or maybe they really weren’t afraid of the KPK. So, at this point we are not surprised to hear that the KPK is again operating in the province.