JAKARTA — Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has seized 11.8 trillion rupiah (about $725 million) from agribusiness giant Wilmar Group as part of a widening corruption investigation into palm oil export permits issued in 2022.
According to AGO officials, Wilmar and two other companies are suspected of paying bribes to secure permits during a period of export restrictions.
Prosecutors had demanded the full amount—11.8 trillion rupiah—as compensation for losses to the state.
“Wilmar paid for the state losses they caused,” said AGO senior official Sutikno during a press conference on Tuesday, June 17, where stacks of seized cash—amounting to 2 trillion rupiah—were displayed as evidence.
Wilmar and its subsidiaries reportedly returned the funds voluntarily, and authorities have formally seized the money as part of their legal proceedings against the company.
Authorities allege that Wilmar, along with two other palm-oil firms, paid bribes to officials to secure these export permits.
Wilmar and its subsidiaries have since returned the full amount, which prosecutors say covers the financial losses to the state.
Another Wilmar employee was also arrested, allegedly linked to the scheme
Wilmar has not publicly responded to the latest developments. However, in earlier statements, the company said it was cooperating with investigators.
The case has also ensnared members of the judiciary. In April, several judges were arrested for allegedly accepting 60 billion rupiah in bribes to issue favourable verdicts in the companies’ favour.
That same month, a Wilmar employee was taken into custody in connection with the investigation.
Wilmar Group operates in Uganda through key joint ventures in the edible oil and agribusiness sectors.
It co-owns Bidco Uganda Limited, based in Jinja, which is the country’s largest producer of edible oils and fast-moving consumer goods.
Wilmar is also a stakeholder in Oil Palm Uganda Limited, a project managing large-scale oil palm plantations and mills on Bugala Island in Kalangala District, with expansions underway in areas like Buvuma and Masaka.
Additionally, the group is involved in the Bugala Thermal Power Station, a biodiesel-powered plant that uses by-products from palm oil processing to supply electricity to the local community and plantation operations.