Saturday 2 August 2008

Fugitive illegal logging boss gets 10 years in jail

This is the same logger who the Minister of Forestry (see next article below) helped to walk free from court last year.

Fugitive illegal logging boss gets 10 years in jail

The Jakarta Post Fri, 08/01/2008

The Supreme Court has sentenced fugitive Adelin Lies in absentia to 10 years in prison for illegal logging, annulling the controversial verdict of a district court in Medan, SouthSumatra, nine months before.

The court found Adelin Lis guilty of conducting illegal logging on the island of Sumatra and told him to pay a combined US$16.3 million in fines and restitution.Deputy attorney general for general crimes Abdul Hakim Ritonga on Friday confirmed that the Supreme Court made the decision Thursday afternoon.

"I was informed last night. The appeal of the Medan prosecutors was accepted," he said.Ritonga said he would cooperate with the National Police to hunt Adelin who disappeared last year and was believed to have fled the country.

Adelin walked away free of all charges on Nov. 5, 2007 after being found not guilty by the Medan District Court of illegal logging during his tenure as the financial director of PT KeangNam Development Indonesia.The decision angered environmental activists who then accused the presiding judges of being bribed. The judges were later transferred by the Supreme Court to various posts outside Medan.