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View all search resultsEx-minister Thomas Lembong files ethics complaint against judges
Former trade minister and graft convict Thomas Lembong, who walked free from prison after receiving presidential pardon, said the ethical violation allegations were part of his attempt to create improvements for Indonesia’s judicial system.
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Former trade minister Thomas Lembong walks to the defendant's chair on July 9 during a hearing against him at the Jakarta Corruption Court in Jakarta. Prosecutors requested that Thomas face seven years behind bars for his alleged role in a corruption case pertaining to the import of raw sugar. (Antara/Sulthony Hasanuddin)
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n a move seen as retaliatory against his conviction, former trade minister Thomas Lembong, a former graft convict who recently received a pardon from President Prabowo Subianto, has lodged complaints against judges presiding over his trial with the Supreme Court and Judicial Commission.
Following up on what he promised upon his release from prison, Thomas reported alleged “ethical violations and improper conduct” by three judges handling and ruling on his case, who worked on the case “based on a presumption of guilt rather than innocence”, said lawyer Zaid Mushafi in a video statement on Monday.
The three reported judges were Dennie Arsan Fatrika, who presided over the panel of judges, as well as panel members Purwanto Abdullah and Alfis Setyawan.
During a hearing on July 18, they ruled that Thomas was guilty of committing corruption pertaining to a raw sugar import policy he issued between 2015 and 2016, when the defendant was serving as the trade minister of then-president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.
The judges sentenced Thomas to 4.5 years behind bars and ordered him to pay a Rp 750 million (US$45,807) fine for his role in the case prosecutors argued inflicting a Rp 578 billion state loss.
The conviction came despite the court acknowledging that Thomas had no criminal intent and received no personal gain, sparking speculations that his case was politically charged from the outset. During the 2024 presidential election, Thomas served as a co-captain of the campaign team of failed candidate Anies Baswedan, a former Jakarta governor known as a vocal critic of Jokowi.
