Description

In December 2024, a follow-up process has been made based on these field documentation findings on alleged non-compliance in PT SSU's operations. This process used the complaint mechanism regulated under ISPO procedures since PT SSU had just granted an ISPO certificate in October 2023, issued by PT SSI as the certification body (CB). 

ISPO is a certification mechanism aims to improve governance in the Indonesian palm oil sector through a set of assessments (PNC) which based on applicable laws and regulations. ISPO was initially enacted in 2011 and was strengthened and then stipulated under the presidential regulation in 2020, which obliges all of the palm oil companies to be certified.

In this complaint process, reported following issues:

1. Planting palm oil which was allegedly planted outside the HGU permit;
2. PT SSU's HGU issuance is allegedly not legally valid because it was carried out through a process of falsifying documents related to community land acquisition;
3. Planting palm oil along the river bank located within the community's customary forest;
4. Tenurial conflict involving eight villages around the concession; and
5. Realization of partnership benefits through plasma mechanism that has not been implemented yet.

The complaint reported not only targeted CB but also targeted a relevant government body or ministry, such as DG Plantation under the MoA (Ministry of Agriculture of Indonesia) and others.