At an adjudication hearing of the Freedom of Public Information Commission convened at the request of plaintiff The Bali Chapter of Friends of the Earth (WALHI-Bali) on Friday, 28 April 2022, against defendant PT Sewata Energi Bersih (PT DEB), the Commission determined that as an environmental group, WALHI lacks sufficient legal standing to pursue a claim against the developers of the LNG Terminal in South Denpasar.
The tribunal determined that WALHI-Bali was not a “public body” and was therefore ineligible to file a “freedom of information claim” against PT DEB.
The tribunal presided over by Commissioners Dewa Nyoman Suardana, S.Ag. as chairman; Ni Luh Candrawati Sari, SH., MH; and Dr. Drs. I Wayan Darma, M.Si. refused WAHLI’s demands for information and access to feasibility studies and other documents connected to the proposed LNG Terminal in the Sidakarya neighborhood of South Denpasar. The tribunal also granted an extra layer of protection to PT DEB, claiming feasibility and environmental impact studies created in planning the depot were “proprietorial” information protected as legitimate “business secrets.”
WAHLI has accused the government and PT DEB of acting in bad faith in refusing to disclose background documents on the environmental impact resulting from establishing a large LNG depot in a densely populated tourism area of the Island.
The legal representatives of WAHLI told Beritabali.com that they are now studying the ruling and planning their next move.
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