inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The Ministry of Forestry has continued the legal process for the perpetrators of mangrove ecosystem destruction and illegal mangrove charcoal storage, by handing over the suspect with the initials AHUI to the Batam District Attorney' s Office, Riau Islands.

"Mangroves are natural resources that have various benefits as habitats for breeding and sheltering marine biological resources and their sustainability must be maintained. The state will always be present in ensuring the sustainability  of the existence of mangrove areas in Indonesia," said the Director General of Law Enforcement of the Forestry Ministry, Dwi Januanto Nugroho in a statement received in Jakarta, Friday.

On the other hand, the Head of the Sumatra Forestry Law Enforcement, Hari Noviantom said the case began with a surprise inspection by Commission IV of the Indonesian House of Representatives together on January 25, 2023, to the PT AMP charcoal warehouse located in Galang District, Batam City, Riau Islands Province.

The location of the warehouse that stores hundreds of tons of mangrove charcoal is in a protected area and the source of the charcoal in the warehouse is suspected to come from the use of illegal mangrove wood.

Authorities found that the mangrove charcoal came from mangrove trees cut down from mangrove forest areas that were processed into charcoal in Dapur Arang in the Riau Islands Province and Riau.

The mangrove charcoal was then transported, purchased and stored by PT AMP, which is an exporter of mangrove charcoal abroad.

Hari said that since being named a suspect, AHUI through its attorney has filed two legal objections through a pretrial motion at the Batam District Court, but the judge decided to reject the suspect's pretrial motion in its entirety.

He is threatened with imprisonment and a maximum of 10 years and a maximum fine of IDR 10 billion.

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