JAKARTA, April 16 — The Indonesian Attorney General’s Office said it has arrested an employee of global palm oil company Wilmar Group on graft charges related to corruption in obtaining export permits, a day after the firm denied its staff were being investigated.

The announcement came after a string of arrests, including four judges and two lawyers, by the Attorney General’s Office, which says the judges took 60 billion rupiah (RM15.7 million) to arrange for a favourable verdict against three companies, including Wilmar.

The office said late on Tuesday that the suspect will be held for 20 days in a Jakarta prison.

Wilmar told Reuters: "We are now assisting with investigations.”

On Monday, the company released a statement saying "investigations so far have not involved Wilmar Group or any of its employees”.

A court had last month acquitted three companies — Wilmar Group, Musim Mas Group, and North Sumatra-based Permata Hijau Group — on charges of misconduct in obtaining export permits in 2022.

When the corruption charges were first brought against the companies, prosecutors were seeking fines and payments up to 11 trillion rupiah. — Reuters