"The joint decree will increase the effectiveness in dealing with environmental crimes. Through this cooperation with the Police and the Attorney General, polluters and environmental destroyers will be brought to justice," Environmental Affairs Minister Gusti Muhammad said.
The newly signed SKB, which is a renewal of the SKB 2004, is considered very important because environmental destruction and pollution continue despite the government`s carefulness in implementing the development and exploiting natural resources.
The SKB covers among other things coordination among the environmental affairs ministry, the National Police and the Attorney General Office, and the harmonization of legal perception in dealing with environmental cases.
It also includes capacity building and competency of investigators from civil servants, police investigation, and the law enforcement by the attorney general, data and information exchange, and the establishment of an integrated environmental law enforcer team.
The environmental affairs ministry has filed 20 cases on environmental crimes to the courts during 2009/2010 - seven were sentenced to jail, two probation, and 11 were released.
According to the minister, the SKB would very much support the the implementation of Law No. 32/2009 on the Environmental Protection and Management.
Since the law was enacted, the ministry has tackled 44 cases, including 30 cases are in the process of data and information collection, 13 cases are still being investigated, and one case was considered by the public prosecutor as having incomplete documents. (*)
Editor: Kunto Wibisono
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
