August 10, 2025 | 12:05 pm
Indonesia's Finance and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP) has stated respect for the complaint filed by the former Minister of Trade Thomas Trikasih Lembong, also known as Tom Lembong, against the auditors involved in the sugar import case to the Indonesian Ombudsman. Tom reported the BPKP auditors for deeming the results of the 2015-2016 sugar import audit as unprofessional.
"Nevertheless, we assure that we will always accompany our auditors who have worked according to procedures," said BPKP Spokesperson Gunawan Wibisono in an official statement quoted on Sunday, August 10, 2025.
He explained that the BPKP audit on the corruption case of sugar imports was requested by the Attorney General's Office based on applicable audit standards.
"In this assignment, the assigned audit team consisted of experienced BPKP employees," said Gunawan. Furthermore, he stated that the auditors had worked professionally, independently, and with integrity.
Gunawan also denied rumors circulating on social media that the BPKP auditors who calculated the state's financial losses had just passed the civil servant candidate selection (CPNS) in 2024.
"No one in the team had just passed the 2024 CPNS administrative selection as widely circulated," said Gunawan.
Tom Lembong, through his legal team, reported the state's financial losses auditor for the case of 2015-2016 sugar import corruption in the Ministry of Trade to the Indonesian Ombudsman on August 4, 2025. They also submitted the report to the BPKP.
Tom Lembong's legal representative, Zaid Mushafi, stated that his client was imprisoned partly due to the BPKP audit which declared state's financial losses. However, according to him, the calculation was unprofessional.
Because, the panel of judges at the Jakarta Corruption Court did not use the entire BPKP audit results. In their considerations, the judges stated that the state's financial losses in the sugar import case were Rp 194.71 billion, not Rp 578.1 billion as calculated by BPKP and the public prosecutor's indictment.
Zaid continued that this report was not to discredit the BPKP institution, but to make corrections to ensure that similar auditing processes would not be experienced by his client in the future.
Tom Lembong received a guilty verdict from the Jakarta Corruption Court in the 2015-206 sugar import corruption case. In their ruling, the panel of judges stated that the state's losses in this case cannot be based on potential. The judges declared that the state's losses had to be real. In the verdict, the judges also stated that Tom had no malicious intent or mens rea in issuing import permits to nine companies. The judges also stated that Tom did not profit from his policy. Despite the guilty verdict, Tom Lembong is now free. He received clemency from President Prabowo Subianto on July 31, 2025.
In addition to the BPKP auditors, Tom Lembong's legal team also reported the panel that convicted their client guilty to the Supreme Court.
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