The Attorney General's Office must continue to probe other parties' involvement in the case of cooking oil scarcity
Jakarta (ANTARA) - House Speaker Puan Maharani voiced support for the Attorney General's Office's (AGO's) step to investigate anybody involved in the recent case of cooking oil shortage.

"The Attorney General's Office must continue to probe other parties' involvement in the case of cooking oil scarcity," Maharani noted in a written statement released in Jakarta on Friday.

The House speaker made the remarks in response to the naming of the director general of foreign trade at the Trade Ministry as a suspect in an alleged case of corruption related to the issuance of the crude palm oil (CPO) export permit.

Maharani urged law enforcement agencies, including the AGO, to thoroughly investigate anybody involved in the case of cooking oil scarcity that had inconvenienced the public.

The House of Representatives' Commission VI is scheduled to summon Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi on Monday (April 25) for clarification on the case of cooking oil scarcity and internal problems within the Trade Ministry.

"Insya Allah (God willing), I will get a report to that effect. Maybe next week, before the Eid festivities, we hold a meeting with the trade minister during the recess period," she remarked.

Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin had earlier affirmed that he will not hesitate to legally process anybody, including ministerial-level officials, in connection with the recent case of cooking oil shortage.

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"For us, if anybody, be it a minister, (is involved) based on sufficient evidence or fact, we will do that (process him legally)," Burhanuddin stated at a press conference at the AGO in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The AGO has named four suspects over the alleged issuance of permits for the export of crude palm oil (CPO) and its derivatives, including cooking oil, from January 2021 to March 2022, which led to a scarcity of cooking oil.

The four suspects have been identified as director general of foreign trade, IWW; Permata Hijau Group senior manager for corporate affairs, SMA; PT Wilmar Nabati Indonesia commissioner, MPT; and PT Musim Mas general manager for general affairs, PT.

IWW allegedly issued permits for the export of CPO and its derivatives to the Permata Hijau Group, PT Wilmar Nabati Indonesia, PT Multimas Nabati Asahan, and PT Musim Mas.

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Translator: Imam Budilaksono, Suharto
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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