The Papua Barat Regional police has launched investigations against 13 palm oil investors holding plantation licenses in the Papua Barat Province. The companies had arranged licenses (HGU, Hak Guna Usaha) to establish oil palm plantations in the province but never launched their field operations. The investigations follow-up on a previous evaluation by the local government and the Commission for Eradication of Corruption (KPK). The assessment also revealed that more than 2,224 hectares of land were outside the concession areas.
KPK vice-chairman, Alexander Marwata, explained that the evaluation team had reviewed 24 palm oil companies holding a total concession area of 578,000 hectares in the Papua Barat Province, of which only eleven were actively operating. The provincial government plans to withdraw the plantation permits if companies hold concessions without establishing a plantation or conducting a plantation outside the designated area.
