Tom Lembong Trial: PT PPI Profits Rp 32 Billion from Trade Ministry's Sugar Import Assignment

April 30, 2025 | 07:43 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - PT Perusahaan Pertanian Indonesia (PPI) made a net profit of approximately Rp 32 billion from the sugar importation assignment. The profit was obtained from the first assignment given by the Ministry of Trade on January 12, 2016, as revealed in the testimony during the trial of Thomas Trikasih Lembong, or Tom Lembong for short.

"We made a profit of Rp 100 per kilogram. So, in total, we made a net profit of around Rp 32 billion," said the President Director of PT PPI for the 2015-2016 period, Dayu Padmara Rengganis, at the Corruption Eradication Court (Tipikor) of the Central Jakarta District Court, Monday night, April 28, 2025.

Dayu mentioned that PT PPI received appreciation from the Ministry of Trade because the sugar prices at that time could be stabilized, either by lowering the purchase price of sugar and/or holding back the price to prevent it from soaring. Thanks to PT PPI, the government was able to maintain the price at Rp 12,500, down from the previous Rp 14,600 and Rp 13,600.

Therefore, in anticipation of Idul Fitri 2016, PT PPI was again assigned on May 31 to import 100,000 tons of sugar.

Dayu is a witness to Tom Lembong, who is a defendant in the sugar importation corruption case. Tom was accused of causing state financial losses amounting to Rp 578,105,411,622.47. This calculation is based on the Report of the Audit Result of Counting State Financial Losses Due to Alleged Corruption in Sugar Import Activities at the Ministry of Trade from 2015 to 2016, with the Reference Number PE.03/R/S-51/D5/01/2025 dated January 20, 2025. The report was issued by the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP).

The public prosecutor at the Attorney General's Office also accused Tom Lembong, who served as the Minister of Trade from 2015 to 2016, of issuing 21 approval for the importation of raw crystal sugar (GKM) for the purpose of forming sugar stock and maintaining sugar price stability to 10 above-mentioned businessmen. The prosecutor argued that the issuance of import approvals was not accompanied by recommendations from the Ministry of Industry.

Tom Lembong was charged with violating Article 2 paragraph (1) or Article 3 juncto Article 18 of the Law on the Eradication of Corruption juncto Article 55 paragraph (1) point 1 of the Criminal Code.

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