TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Attorney General's Office (AGO) respects the decision of the panel of judges who sentenced former Trade Minister, Thomas Trikasih Lembong, better known as Tom Lembong, to 4 years and 6 months in prison in a corruption case related to sugar import. The verdict is lighter than the prosecutors' demand of 7 years in prison.
"We appreciate the verdict of the panel of judges, where the decision considered and granted some of our charges and demands, although not all," said the Head of the Legal Information Center of the Attorney General, Anang Supriatna, when contacted by Tempo on Saturday, July 19, 2025.
In addition to the imprisonment, the panel of judges also imposed a fine of Rp 750 million or an alternative of 6 months imprisonment, in accordance with the prosecutor's demand. Tom Lembong was found guilty of violating Article 2 paragraph (1) of the Corruption Law juncto Article 55 paragraph (1) point 1 of the Criminal Code, in a corruption case related to sugar import in the period of 2015-2016.
Anang said that the Attorney General's Office is still studying the complete contents of the verdict before determining the next steps. "We have seven days to decide whether to accept it or to seek an appeal," he said. The consideration of acceptance or appeal, Anang added, will be done while waiting for the complete copy of the verdict.
Responding to Tom Lembong's statement that the judge did not mention the presence of mens rea or evil intention in the verdict, Anang said that the consciousness of the action is sufficient to indicate the element of intention in the act of corruption.
"Mens rea is not necessarily present in that matter, but when he is aware of his actions, that there is an obligation that should be carried out but not done, we believe he is aware," he said.
According to Anang, in this case there were procedural violations, one of which was due to strategic decisions that should have been made in a closed meeting, but were not. He emphasized that discretion in public office should still comply with the rules. "Discretion is allowed, but there are mechanisms and rules that must not be ignored, for safety," said Anang.
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