Indonesian graftbusters put a price tag on environmental crime

JAKARTA — Indonesia’s anti-graft agency has vowed to include environmental damages in its calculations of state losses incurred through corruption, in a move that could translate to heavier sentences and fines for crimes in the natural resources sector. The announcement by the KPK, as the agency is known, comes in connection to its ongoing prosecution of Nur Alam, the suspended governor of the province of Southeast Sulawesi. Alam, whose name translates as “Light of Nature” and who was indicted last November, faces 18 years in prison for allegedly abusing his authority to grant mining licenses from 2009 to 2014. Among the recipients of these licenses was PT Anugrah Harisma Barakah (AHB), which engaged in illegal mining for nickel in the province. KPK spokesman Febri Diansyah said the losses incurred by the state as a result of the alleged crimes “were quite big.” “In this case, we’re trying to see the link between the alleged corruption and the impact caused by the issued permits, especially on the environment,” he said as reported by Kompas. Febri said the agency was committed to making this “breakthrough” in Alam’s case and future investigations involving environmental crimes. “The least we can do is present it before the court so that the judges can consider it,” Febri said as quoted by Media Indonesia. Indonesia’s Southeast Sulawesi province. Image by Bwmodular/Wikimedia Commons. The KPK asserts that AHB’s nickel mining operations resulted in 4.3 trillion rupiah ($312 million) in state losses, 2.7 trillion rupiah ($196 million) of which is said to…

from Conservation news https://ift.tt/2ut93lM
via IFTTT