Indonesia arrests former trade minister in sugar import graft case

JAKARTA, INDONESIA — 

Indonesian authorities investigating graft person arrested a erstwhile commercialized curate turned authorities professional connected suspicion of improperly granting a sweetener import licence successful 2015 that led to losses of $25 million.

Thomas Trikasih Lembong was named a fishy and arrested precocious connected Tuesday by prosecutors from the lawyer general's office, accused of giving the licence to a backstage institution astatine a clip erstwhile Indonesia had a surplus of sugar, the bureau said.

"At that time, Indonesia did not request to import sweetener but (Lembong) granted a licence to import 105,000 metric tons of earthy crystal sugar," authoritative Abdul Qohar told a property conference.

There was nary consultation with different authorities bodies oregon a proposal from the manufacture ministry, helium said, adding that the determination had led to losses of $25.42 million.

Qohar did not accidental what Lembong is accused of having received successful instrumentality for the licence to the company, which authorities identified lone by its initials, PT AP.

The lawyer general's bureau denied that its probe had a governmental motive.

"I surrender everything to God Almighty," media reported Lembong, handcuffed and wearing a pinkish detainee vest, arsenic saying aft the property conference.

Reuters could not scope Lembong oregon his lawyer to question comment.

A erstwhile concern banker, Lembong was Indonesia's commercialized curate betwixt 2015 and 2016 and a adjacent aide of erstwhile president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, for whom helium often wrote planetary speeches.

But aft leaving bureau successful 2019, helium became 1 of the staunchest critics of Jokowi's government.

Lembong was a run manager successful February's statesmanlike predetermination for Anies Baswedan, who ran against the winner, defence curate Prabowo Subianto, wide seen arsenic Jokowi's preferred successor, who took bureau connected Oct. 20

Indonesia's sweetener output successful 2015 was 2.49 cardinal metric tons, portion depletion was 2.12 million.