JAKARTA: Indonesian police are investigating 97 corporations, including 22 foreign-linked companies, over forest and land fire cases across the country, with 20 companies already named as suspects.
National Police Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) chief Comm Gen Asep Safrudin (pic) said 16 of the 20 corporate suspects were domestically invested companies, while the remaining four were foreign-invested.
"The number of corporate suspects may increase as our investigations continue,” he said at a press conference in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on Thursday (Oct 29), which was streamed live on social media.
Asep said the corporate suspects have designated management representatives for legal proceedings, with investigation papers to be submitted to public prosecutors before heading to court.
The companies are being investigated under Articles 98, 99, and 108 of the Environmental Protection and Management Law, which cover deliberate or negligent environmental offences and land burning.
The offences carry penalties of up to 15 years' imprisonment for individuals found liable and fines of up to Rp15 billion (RM3.36 million).
"We are proceeding against foreign-affiliated companies or those funded by overseas investment because the alleged offences occurred within the jurisdiction of the Republic of Indonesia,” he said.
Asep said police have recommended the revocation of business licences of 23 corporations following findings that included repeated fires within concessions, fires originating on company land, inadequate firefighting facilities, and burned areas exceeding 500 hectares.
He said police had so far received 104 reports involving corporations, covering 29,168.78 hectares of burned land, including 33 reports in West Kalimantan, 20 in South Sumatra, 14 in Central Kalimantan, 13 in South Kalimantan, and seven in East Kalimantan.
For cases involving individuals, police have filed 287 reports covering 5,859.12 hectares of burned land, with 245 people named as suspects.
West Kalimantan recorded the highest number of police reports involving individuals, at 68, followed by Riau (59), Central Kalimantan (43), South Sumatra (42) and East Kalimantan (30).
Asep said that individual cases generally involved deliberate or negligent burning to clear land, with suspects investigated under environmental protection, plantation, and forestry laws. - Bernama
