The Attorney General's Office Confirms Tom Lembong Will Be Freed Tonight

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The Attorney General's Office has received the Presidential Decree or Keppres containing the grant of amnesty from President Prabowo Subianto to the defendant Tom Lembong. Thus, Tom is assured of his release from the Cipinang Detention Center in Jakarta tonight.

The Director of Prosecution at the Attorney General's Office for Special Crimes, Sutikno, conveyed this on Friday (1/8/2025) evening. The statement was made shortly after the Minister of Law, Supratman Andi Agtas, met with Attorney General ST Burhanuddin at the Attorney General's Office.

Sutikno stated that the Attorney General's Office has received Presidential Decree Number 18 of 2025 regarding the grant of amnesty to Tom Lembong. According to Sutikno, the decree essentially contains provisions that nullify all legal processes and legal consequences specifically for Thomas Trikasih Lembong.

"And God willing, in the not-too-distant future, Mr. Tom Lembong's release from detention can be carried out soon," said Sutikno.

With the acceptance of Presidential Decree No. 18/2025, Sutikno continued, his team will head to the Central Jakarta District Attorney's Office to complete the administrative process as the case is being handled there. Sutikno assured that the administrative process will be carried out promptly.

"We will ensure that the person concerned can be released from detention tonight," he said.

According to Sutikno, Presidential Decree No. 18/2025 does not contain the reasons or basis for granting amnesty to Tom Lembong. However, Sutikno confirmed that the name included in the decree is solely Tom's.

Thus, the legal process for other suspects in the rice import corruption case at the Ministry of Trade for 2015-2016 will continue. In this case, investigators from the Attorney General's Office have named 10 other suspects in addition to Tom Lembong, consisting of 9 private sector suspects and one from a state-owned enterprise.

"This presidential decree is only for one person, namely Mr. Tom Lembong," he said.

As reported, the House of Representatives approved President Prabowo Subianto's request to grant amnesty to the Secretary-General of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle or PDI-P, Hasto Kristiyanto, and abolition for former Minister of Trade Tom Lembong. The request was submitted through two Presidential Letters (Surpres) dated July 30, 2025, namely Number R43/PRES/07/2025 concerning the request for the House's approval regarding the granting of abolition for Tom Lembong and Number 42/PRES/07/2025 regarding amnesty for 1,116 convicts, including Hasto Kristiyanto.

Tom Lembong was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in prison in a sugar import case during his tenure as Minister of Trade from 2015 to 2016, by the panel of judges at the Jakarta Corruption Court on July 18.

Hasto was sentenced to 3.5 years in prison and a fine of Rp 250 million, with a subsidiary of three months' imprisonment, by the panel of judges at the Jakarta Corruption Court on July 25. Hasto was found to be involved in the bribery case concerning the replacement of a member of the DPR for Harun Masiku.

In anticipation of Tom's release, former Governor of DKI Jakarta Anies Baswedan; Tom's wife, Franciska Wihardja; and Tom's legal counsel were seen visiting the Cipinang Detention Center. Anies arrived first at around 09:34 WIB. Shortly thereafter, Tom's wife followed. In front of the entrance to the Cipinang Detention Center, dozens of Tom's supporters also gathered, awaiting his release from prison.

Tom Lembong's legal counsel, Ari Yusuf Amir, stated that they have discussed with Tom, and the former Minister of Trade has accepted the abolition from President Prabowo.

According to him, abolition is a constitutional prerogative of the president as stipulated in Article 14 Paragraph (2) of the 1945 Constitution. Ari also mentioned that the status of Tom's case has not yet received a legally binding decision.

Therefore, the abolition of prosecution granted in the form of abolition also eliminates all allegations made by the prosecutor regarding the corruption charges against Tom Lembong.

"That after the abolition is granted, there is no longer any legal basis for criminal prosecution against Tom Lembong. Therefore, all ongoing criminal legal processes must be halted by law enforcement and the courts, including releasing Tom from detention," said Ari.

Through this abolition, the state acknowledged that the guilty party was not Tom Lembong, but rather the system that allowed the law to be carried out without justice.

Ari emphasized that this is not only about freeing someone from criminal charges but also about restoring the dignity that was forcibly and unjustly taken away. This decision simultaneously reaffirms that Tom is not a corruptor as has been attempted to be shaped by misleading narratives during the legal proceedings of this case.

"Tom Lembong does not need to admit anything and does not need to apologize to any party," he said.

According to Ari, Tom Lembong is a figure who has made significant contributions to the country, both in his capacity as a public official and as a visionary thinker and actor in economic policy.

"This abolition is evidence that the state still has the space to acknowledge its mistakes and restore the dignity of its citizens who have been treated unjustly," said Ari.