Legal failings leave illegal loggers unpunished and certified in Indonesia
Illegal loggers in Indonesia continue to go largely unpunished because of a weak judicial system and loopholes in timber regulations, according to a new report.
The report by investigative NGOs EIA and Kaoem Telapak looked at law enforcement actions against more than 50 companies, most of them found to be trading in illegally logged merbau, a prized tropical hardwood, but evading prosecution.
The few companies and individuals prosecuted and found guilty in court were still allowed to operate and even retain their certificates of timber legality a stamp of approval that allows them to export the illegally logged wood.