InfoSAWIT, PASANGKAYU – A new plea bargain mechanism introduced under Indonesia’s 2025 Criminal Procedure Code (KUHAP) has been applied for the first time in a palm oil theft case at the Pasangkayu District Court.

The mechanism was used in case No. 80/Pid.B/2026/PN Pky, involving defendant Suriadi bin Samsul and the alleged unauthorized harvesting of palm oil belonging to PT Surya Raya Lestari 1.

According to information from the Supreme Court cited by InfoSAWIT on Friday, September 18, 2026, the trial took place on September 9, 2026.

Before the plea bargain mechanism was applied, Suriadi, who was identified as a first-time offender, had undergone a restorative justice process. However, the process failed to produce a settlement between the defendant and the company as the victim.

The case then proceeded under the mechanism established by the 2025 Criminal Procedure Code.

During the hearing, the panel asked Suriadi about the charges presented by the public prosecutor. He subsequently admitted to the act without coercion or pressure.

The admission became the basis for the judge to consider applying the plea bargain mechanism under Article 205 paragraph (2) of the Criminal Procedure Code.

Following the application of the mechanism, the case was transferred from an ordinary examination procedure to a simplified proceeding before a single judge.

The procedure was implemented with reference to Supreme Court Circular Letter (SEMA) No. 1 of 2026 concerning guidelines for implementing the 2023 Criminal Code and 2025 Criminal Procedure Code.

Defendant Sentenced to Four Months in Prison

The change in procedure also affected the maximum sentence that could be imposed.

Under Article 257 paragraph (5) of the Criminal Procedure Code, imprisonment in the simplified proceeding may not exceed three years.

In the ruling, single judge Maruly Agustinus Sinaga found Suriadi legally and convincingly guilty of unlawfully participating in the harvesting of plantation produce, as charged under the prosecutor’s alternative second indictment.

The judge sentenced Suriadi to four months in prison.

The sentence was lighter than the six-month prison term sought by the public prosecutor.

Company Losses Estimated at Rp1.49 Million

The case originated from the unauthorized harvesting of oil palm fruit, which resulted in losses for PT Surya Raya Lestari 1.

Court calculations found that 33 fresh fruit bunches weighing a combined 562 kilograms had been taken. With the palm fruit valued at Rp2,660 per kilogram, the total calculated loss amounted to Rp1,494,920.

The application of the plea bargain mechanism in the case represents an early implementation of the new provisions introduced under Indonesia’s 2025 Criminal Procedure Code.

The mechanism was applied after the judge determined that the defendant’s admission and other requirements for the simplified examination procedure had been met.

The palm oil theft case therefore also provides an early example of how the new criminal procedure mechanism is being applied in district court proceedings. (T2)