Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office (AGO) has refuted allegations made by the legal team of former trade minister Tom Lembong regarding the arbitrary appointment of suspects in the sugar import corruption case. The AGO maintains that Tom's designation as a suspect adhered to legal procedures.
During a pretrial hearing at the South Jakarta District Court on Tuesday, November 19, 2024, the AGO's team presented its response to Tom's lawsuit. Prosecutor Teguh emphasized that Tom underwent multiple examinations as a witness prior to being named a suspect. "Before being named a suspect, Tom Lembong was examined as a witness on October 8, 16, 22, and 29, 2024," he explained.
Teguh further clarified that these witness examinations were conducted in accordance with standard law enforcement procedures. "The examination of Tom as a witness is documented in four witness reports under the name of Thomas Trikasih Lembong within the investigation process," he added.
The AGO also dismissed allegations of coercion in the appointment of legal representation for Tom. Prosecutor Teguh explained that investigators from the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) had initially offered legal representation under the name of Eko Purwanto.
However, Tom requested to appoint his own legal counsel, Ari Yusuf Amir, on October 30, 2024. "On Friday, November 1, 2024, investigators continued the examination of Tom as a suspect, accompanied and signed by his legal advisor," Teguh said.
During the previous hearing, Ari argued that his client's designation as a suspect was arbitrary, lacking the required two pieces of evidence. He also questioned the investigators' decision to link Tom Lembong to the sugar import case from 2015 to 2023, considering that Tom's tenure as trade minister ended in 2016.
To date, the Attorney General's Office has named two suspects in the sugar import corruption case: Tom Lembong and Charles Sitorus, the Director of Business Development of PT Perusahaan Perdagangan Indonesia (PT PPI).