T

he government is preparing to appeal a Palembang District Court verdict declaring that the operations of pulp producer PT Bumi Mekar Hijau (PT BMH) did not cause any environmental damage.

In the verdict delivered on Wednesday, the court said the evidence collected in the case against PT BMH failed to prove it illegally set fire to 20,000 hectares of its concession in Ogan Komering Ilir, South Sumatra, in 2014.

'€œWe are preparing for the appeal,'€ said Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya as quoted by kompas.com on Monday.

Siti said she was waiting for a copy of the court verdict.

The lawsuit lodged by the ministry sought Rp 7.8 trillion in damages, which would have been the largest financial award ever levied against a company accused of forest burning in the country, with the intention of sending a strong message to those responsible for the annual haze.

The court said no damage could be proven as the burned land was still fertile and had been replanted with acacia trees afterward.

The judges also failed to take into account the air pollution caused by the fire in the company'€™s concession.

The verdict on PT BMH has been criticized as it is deemed to set a bad precedent for similar cases that have yet to go to trial, with the government pursuing other companies allegedly responsible for forest fires that have eased on account of monsoon rains.

The government has sanctioned 23 companies over the fires, with three having land-use or environmental permits revoked while 16 had permits suspended.'€