Press Releases

Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) is preparing to refute allegations in a new complaint to the RSPO filed by the UK NGO, Forest People’s Programme (FPP).

GAR was notified of the content of the complaint on 13 March 2020, via an approach by Wall Street Journal reporter, prior to the complaint being formally accepted by the RSPO. This action by the complainants is not in the spirit of the RSPO or its Complaints Process.

While we study the complaint and prepare a response for the RSPO Complaints Panel GAR would like to point out that:

• The issues raised in the complaint are not new.

• GAR has issued many public statements on the bribery case involving three executives of PT BAP in 2018. GAR has issued responses in its Annual Report, on its website and in this report, as well as proactively to its stakeholders. GAR has detailed the actions it has taken including requiring executives to sign Integrity Pacts committing them to ethical and lawful behaviour and enhanced our Code of Conduct.

• The case was closed in March 2019. The individuals in question are no longer employees of the company. The company did not sanction their actions in any way.

• The issue of permitting in Indonesia has long been a complex one made more so by overlapping and conflicting regulation between the province and national government. This infographic provides an insight on the process.

GAR and its subsidiaries operate legally and in accordance with Indonesian law and the requirements of the RSPO. The company will comply with the RSPO Complaints Process.

The complaint can be found here: https://askrspo.force.com/Complaint/s/case/5000o00002u2QR1AAM/
and here: https://rspo.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#90000000YoJi/a/0o000000MWNQ/4sRfDpx00G2mBabE8fG2AENqYA7C52mjBzCbvfSXHAo

For any enquiries, please contact:
Ian Suwarganda
Head of Policy & Advocacy
[email protected]