Wilmar Employee Named Bribery Suspect Related to Palm Oil Graft Case

2 days ago 8

April 17, 2025 | 12:43 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Attorney General's Office has identified Muhammad Syafei (MSY), Head of Social Security Legal at Wilmar Group, as a new suspect in the bribery case linked to the lenient verdict in the crude palm oil (CPO) export corruption trial. The trial at the Central Jakarta District Court involved Wilmar Group, Permata Hijau Group, and Musim Mas Group.

"This evening, one person has been named a suspect, MSY. He is the Head of Social Security Legal at Wilmar Group," announced Abdul Qohar, Director of Investigation at the Attorney General's Office, at the Kartika Building of the Attorney General's Office on Tuesday night, April 15, 2025. MSY are the initials of Muhammad Syafei.

This development brings the total number of suspects in the case concerning the allegedly lenient verdict in the cooking oil corruption scandal to eight. The other seven suspects include lawyers Marcella Santoso and Ariyanto, South Jakarta District Court Chief Justice Muhammad Arif Nuryanta, junior clerk Wahyu Gunawan, and the panel of judges: Djuyamto, Agam Syarif Baharuddin, and Ali Muhtarom.

Qohar alleged that Syafei provided Rp60 billion to Ariyanto, who then passed it to Arif through Wahyu. This bribe was intended to secure an ontslag van alle recht vervolging verdict (discharge of all prosecutions), meaning the corporations, while their actions were proven, would not be considered criminally liable and thus avoid the Public Prosecutor's demand for approximately Rp17 trillion in restitution.

Qohar did not specify if the Rp60 billion originated solely from Wilmar Group or also involved the other two corporations. Following his designation as a suspect, Syafei has been detained for 20 days at the Salemba Detention Center Branch of the Attorney General's Office.

According to Qohar's previous statements, Arif received the Rp60 billion via Wahyu, who allegedly received a US$50,000 commission. The panel of judges reportedly received a total of R 22.2 billion from Arif. The Attorney General's Office filed a cassation against the discharge verdict on March 27, 2025, and the process is still ongoing.

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