Wilmar’s Indonesian executive gets 6-year jail term, fine over bribing judges

[SINGAPORE] Singapore agribusiness Wilmar International said in a regulatory filing on Tuesday (Mar 3) that its Indonesian unit’s head of social security legal has been handed a six-year jail term and a fine of 300 million rupiah (S$22,700).

The Central Jakarta District Court sentenced Muhammad Syafei for bribing the judges who had earlier acquitted Wilmar subsidiaries of charges related to wrongfully obtaining export permits for oil products.

However, the court did not find him guilty of money laundering. The prosecution had sought 15 years’ imprisonment and a 600 million rupiah fine for the bribery and money laundering charges.

Last September, Wilmar was ordered to pay a fine of one billion rupiah, in addition to forfeiting 11.8 trillion rupiah to the Attorney General’s Office.

Wilmar shares closed 1.1 per cent or S$0.04 lower at S$3.50 on Tuesday, before the announcement.