Jakarta – Former trade minister and suspect in an alleged sugar import corruption case Thomas Lembong sent a handwritten letter from prison to the public on Saturday, saying that his legal team was managing his case.
In the letter, Tom expressed gratitude to those supporting him and vowed to cooperate fully with the authorities as the investigation unfolds. He also reaffirmed his commitment to Indonesia.
"I will continue to love Indonesia and serve the country. I strive to be cooperative, positive and conducive in helping reveal the truth and uphold justice," Tom said, as quoted by tribunnews.com on Monday.
The statement, written in Indonesian and English, concluded with a prayer for guidance and justice. The alleged corruption case revolves around Thomas' signing of a sugar import policy at a time when the domestic stock of the commodity was allegedly sufficient, potentially violating the Corruption Law.
As Thomas is currently detained at the Salemba Detention Center, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) questioned two witnesses on Monday.
"Then, the witness with the initials SA, who served as director general at the Trade Ministry in 2016," AGO spokesman Harli Siregar said on Monday, as quoted by Kompas.
Another witness, identified as SH, served as the industrial products sub-directorate head at the ministry's Basic Materials and Strategic Goods Directorate in 2015.
Harli confirmed that the investigation was conducted by the Investigation Directorate of the Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus).
"This examination is aimed at strengthening the evidence and completing the case files in the investigation involving suspect TTL [Thomas] and others," Harli said.
Thomas is currently challenging his detention in a pretrial lawsuit, with the first hearing set for Nov. 18, 2024.