According to experts we interviewed for the story, the payment bears the hallmarks of a common ruse in which sham consultants are used to funnel millions of dollars to government officials in exchange for contracts or permits. While it is impossible, they noted, to tell whether the payment funded bribery without using powers available only to government agencies, they said it warranted an investigation by law enforcement.
We travelled to Papua on the trail of Kim Nam Ku, the man Korindo says received the consultancy fee in exchange for his shares in the company, and mapped out his career through interviews with former colleagues. Today, Korindo controls more land in Papua than any other conglomerate, and has assumed many of the functions of the state in one of Indonesia's most neglected and militarised areas.
Korindo denies paying bribes and says its plantations have benefited the Papuan people.
This article was produced by Mongabay and The Gecko Project, in collaboration with the Korean Center for Investigative Journalism-Newstapa and 101 East, Al Jazeera’s Asia-Pacific current affairs programme.
Summary by The Gecko Project and Mongabay
Online Journalism Awards
This investigation has been shortlisted in two categories of the Online Journalism Awards 2021: the ‘Knight Award for Public Service’ and ‘Excellence in Collaboration and Partnerships'.
