Jakarta. The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has seized more than Rp 11.88 trillion (around $728 million) from five subsidiaries of Singapore-based agribusiness giant Wilmar Group in connection with a corruption case involving crude palm oil (CPO) export permits.

The seized funds were returned by the following companies: Multimas Nabati Asahan, Multi Nabati Sulawesi, Sinar Alam Permai, Wilmar Bioenergi Indonesia, and Wilmar Nabati Indonesia. The announcement was made Tuesday by Sutikno, Director of Prosecution at the AGO’s Special Crimes Unit.

In a dramatic display of law enforcement, the AGO showcased the confiscated money worth Rp 2 trillion, stacked high around a table where eight AGO officials sat, nearly filling the room. The display took place during a press conference at the AGO’s Special Crimes Unit headquarters in Jakarta. The companies handed over Rp 11.8 trillion as restitution for the alleged losses to state finances and the national economy.

If all Rp 11.8 trillion in Rp 100,000 banknotes were stacked in Rp 10 million bundles and laid flat in a single layer, they would cover approximately 11,588 square meters, more than 1.5 times the size of a standard FIFA football field.

The case centers on alleged abuse of export permits during a 2022 government-imposed ban on palm oil shipments, enacted to address a domestic cooking oil shortage. Prosecutors charged the companies under Indonesia’s anti-corruption law, accusing them of reaping illegal profits during the restriction period.

Despite these allegations, the Central Jakarta Corruption Court in March acquitted the five companies of all charges. The AGO has since appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court, where the case remains under review.

An audit by the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP), along with a separate study by Gadjah Mada University’s Faculty of Economics and Business, estimated state losses at Rp 11.88 trillion, including direct financial damage and broader economic losses.

Breakdowns of the estimated losses per company include:

• Multimas Nabati Asahan: Rp 4 trillion

• Multi Nabati Sulawesi: Rp 40 billion

• Sinar Alam Permai: Rp 484 billion

• Wilmar Bioenergi Indonesia: Rp 57 billion

• Wilmar Nabati Indonesia: Rp 7.3 trillion

Sutikno said the five companies have returned the full amount of state losses, now placed in an escrow account at Bank Mandiri under the supervision of the AGO’s Special Crimes Unit.

“The seizure was authorized by a court order from the Central Jakarta District Court under Article 38 of the Criminal Procedure Code and supports the ongoing cassation process,” Sutikno said.

The AGO has detained three judges accused of accepting bribes in exchange for acquitting the corporate defendants in the case. The companies involved include Wilmar Group, Permata Hijau Group, and Musim Mas Group.

The detained judges --Agam Syarif Baharuddin, Ali Muhtarom, and Djuyamto-- allegedly received bribes from company lawyer Ariyanto. The arrests follow a controversial March 19 ruling in which the Jakarta Anti-Corruption Court, led by Judge Djuyamto, found the companies guilty of exporting CPO without permits but deemed the actions non-criminal.

Prior to the ruling, prosecutors had sought Rp 11.8 trillion from Wilmar, Rp 4.8 trillion from Musim Mas, and Rp 937 billion from Permata Hijau. Prosecutors allege the companies’ illegal exports cost the state Rp 18.3 trillion, citing government subsidies required to stabilize domestic cooking oil prices during the 2022 crisis.