Farmer gets four-year jail term for Tesso Nilo deforestation
Panel of judges also slapped defendant Manuturi Butar-butar with an environment restoration cost of Rp 600 million (US$33,227), which must be paid within one month with an extension of another month after which the verdict becomes legally binding.
On October 30, a court in Pelalawan regency, Riau, sentenced a farmer named Manuturi Butar-butar to four years in prison for deforestation and illicit plantation activities within Tesso Nilo National Park. The prosecutor's office announced that the defendant must also pay an environment restoration cost of Rp 600 million (US$33,227) within one month, with the possibility of an additional month for payment extension.
The judge, Andry Simbolon, ruled that the defendant had altered the landscape in a protected conservation area and conducted activities incompatible with the park's designated functions. These activities, carried out in February, violated multiple laws, including Law No. 23/2024 on Natural Resources and Ecosystem Conservation, and Law No. 6/2023 on Deforestation Prevention and Eradication.
If Manuturi fails to pay the restoration cost, prosecutors can seize and auction his property for the unpaid compensation, with additional imprisonment added if the payment remains unpaid.
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