Jakarta. Former Trade Minister Thomas Trikasih Lembong appeared at the Attorney General’s Office on Tuesday evening in a pink detainee vest shortly after he was announced as a corruption suspect related to alleged fraudulent sugar import.

With both hands cuffed, he was escorted by prosecutors from the AGO’s Special Crimes Division at 8.45 p.m. to the vehicle that would take him to the detention facility of the South Jakarta District Prosecutors’ office.

"I surrender everything to God the Almighty," he said briefly in response to questions from many journalists.

Thomas, 53, is accused of issuing an import permit for 105,000 tons of red sugar crystals in 2015 despite a domestic surplus, said AGO’s Director of Criminal Investigation, Abdul Qohar.

He was detained along with another suspect, a businessman identified by the initials DS.

Abdul added that the import license was granted to a private company, even though only state-owned companies are authorized to procure the commodity from foreign sources.

“At the time, the suspect, as trade minister, granted the import license without first coordinating with relevant state agencies,” Abdul explained.

Thomas served as trade minister from 2015 to 2016, before being appointed head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) until October 2019 under President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. During his tenure, he was one of Jokowi’s most trusted aides, often contributing to the president’s speeches on economic issues.

Since leaving the cabinet, Thomas has been an outspoken critic of the president and has voiced support for the presidential campaign of Anies Baswedan, another former Jokowi minister who has since joined the opposition.

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