Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – The trial of an illegal logging suspect was delayed Wednesday after a group of people disrupted court proceedings at Medan District Court in North Sumatra.
Tensions over Adelin Lis' hearing led presiding judge Arwan Byrin to postpone the trial until July 23. The trial was scheduled to examine five witnesses Wednesday but heard from just one.
Representatives from a North Sumatran group against illegal logging rushed into the courtroom and demanded Adelin be sentenced to life in prison. Police and prosecutors failed to secure the courtroom despite the judge's demands.
"We don't want to prevent the group from staging their protest but they have to do (it with some) order," said Medan's district court head Arwan. "And because they didn't, we postponed the trial."
Arwam said the protesters would have to respect the proceedings and told them to have some trust in the court. "There is no need to terrorize the court – especially if we want to uphold justice in this country," he said.
As financial director and owner of PT Keang Nam Development Indonesia, Adelin has been accused of violating forestry laws in relation to the illegal logging and collection of timber products outside the company's concession area in Mandailing Natal regency, North Sumatra, between 2000 and 2005.
Several protest groups in support of both sides packed the court Wednesday to witness the trial.
A group of youths claiming to come from the North Sumatran chapter of the Crescent Star Party said they were ready to bring in Forestry Minister MS Kaban (of CSP) as a witness to explain a letter he wrote for Adelin's lawyer and local police.
Hundreds of workers recently dismissed from PT Tropical Wood timber company also attended the hearing. They said they want traced the origin of timber produced by the company.
PT Keang Nam Development Indonesia president Oscar Sipayung was one of the witnesses presented by the prosecution. He said based on the forestry minister's letter in 1999, the company had the right to manage 58,590 hectares of forest. The permit would expire in 2049.
Oscar was the only witness examined by the judge during the Wednesday trial. When asked whether it was possible to present Kaban as a witness, prosecutor Harli Siregar said it would be considered.
Adelin's lawyer, Hotman Paris Hutapea, said he did not plan to present Kaban as witness. In a previous trial, Hotman told journalists he might present Kaban as a witness to explain the letter.
"It's the prosecutor's authority. But if the prosecutor wants to present him, we agree," Hotman said.
Adelin Lis received a letter of support from Forestry Minister MS Kaban, who said the alleged activity conducted by Adelin was not a crime, but an administrative error.
Lawyer Adnan Buyung Nasution criticized Kaban's actions Monday. He said Kaban had behaved unethically and would be seen to have obstructed justice. Legal experts have also asked the government to use anti-corruption laws, not forestry laws, to try illegal logging suspects.
Buyung said forestry laws and regulations did not have the necessary teeth to catch illegal logging suspects, especially if the suspects were business people or officials regularly untouched by the law.