Recent trials of forestry corruption with defendant Burhanuddin Husin, former Riau Forestry Service Head at Pekanbaru’s Corruption Crime Court presented witnesses telling irregularities found in ground checking.
Former Siak District Head Arwin AS was sentenced to four-year imprisonment by Corruption Court in Pekanbaru on Thursday as he was found guilty to make money collaborately by issuing logging licenses to pulp timber suppliers during his service as District Head in 2001-2002.
EoF News (PEKANBARU)—Former Riau Forestry Service Head was sentenced to 5-year imprisonment last week by Anti-Corruption Court for receiving bribes from pulpwood plantation companies within 2002-2005 which caused the State loss amount to Rp 889.2 billion (US$ 98.8 million).
Pekanbaru (EoF News) – Eyes on the Forest, a coalition of three environmental NGOs in Riau, Sumatra releases its Investigative Report August 2006 today. The EoF Investigation found Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings (APRIL) to be involved in natural forest clearance by its associated company, PT Bina Daya Bintara’s concession inside the Libo forest block. EoF considers these operations illegal as well as destroying potential High Conservation Value Forests (HCVFs) despite APRIL’s own publicly announced policy to protect HCVFs. When APRIL was found to be involved converting forests in the same concession and to sell the wood to Asia Pulp & Paper’s pulp mill in March 2006, (Investigative Report March 2006 ), APRIL honored EoF’s request and halted logging in the concession to protect Sumatran elephant habitat. However, in August 2006, APRIL’s wood supply company was again found clearcutting natural forest in this concession but this time selling the wood to APRIL itself.
In the Report, Eyes on the Forest called PT. Bina Daya Bintara/APRIL to immediately stop controversial logging operations to prevent further conversion of potential elephant habitat, further disturbance that may be contributing to driving elephants out of Libo Forest Block to cause frequent human elephant conflicts in the area, legally questionable clearing of forest in peat deeper than 3m, clearing of forest designated as Protection Forest in the currently active Provincial Land Use Plan and possible lack of approval by Ministry of Forestry of locally issued conversion license. Eyes on the Forest also called APP to not receive wood originating from this operation.