Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – The Attorney General's Office transferred Rp 6.6 trillion ($390 million) to the state from fines imposed on palm oil and nickel companies for forestry violations, in a ceremony attended by President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin said the funds were collected from administrative fines related to forest area violations as well as the recovery of state losses stemming from corruption cases.

Of the total amount, Rp 2.3 trillion was obtained from 20 palm oil companies and one nickel mining firm found to have breached forestry regulations, Burhanuddin said.

In addition, a task force under the Attorney General's Office has returned control of around 4 million hectares of forest land to the state.

Prabowo said proceeds from forestry fines could deliver tangible benefits to the public if managed effectively. He said the Rp 6.6 trillion could be used to build up to 100,000 permanent housing units for victims of floods and landslides in Sumatra.

He added that housing needs for flood victims in North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh were estimated at nearly 200,000 units, meaning the recovered funds could cover roughly half of the requirement.

Beyond housing, Prabowo said about Rp 6 trillion would also be sufficient to renovate thousands of dilapidated educational facilities across the country.

The president stressed that potential state revenue from forestry violation fines remained far larger. "This is only the beginning. Only about 20 companies have fulfilled their obligations so far, even though these funds could save the lives of hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens," he said.

Prabowo reaffirmed his administration's commitment to tackling corruption without discrimination and ensuring that state assets are used to the greatest possible extent for the public interest.

Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/attorney-general-hands-over-rp-66-trillion-in-forestry-fines-to-stat