The International Herald Tribune is reporting on the trade in illegal logging in Indonesia.

Illegal logging is commonplace in Indonesia, and though the government has prosecuted dozens of cases in recent years, it admits it cannot be everywhere.

The article mentions that the illegal logging trade is able to continue in Indonesia due to the rampant corruption amongst government officials.

The most famous illegal logger in Indonesia, Adelin Lis, who operated in North Sumatra, was arrested this year, only to be acquitted by a court in Medan, the provincial capital. He then left the country and is believed to be in Singapore.

The attorney general’s office has opened a corruption investigation into judges and the police in Medan, and says that there are many similar cases.

“There are a number of ongoing investigations into corruption that has allowed illegal loggers from all over Indonesia to go free,” said Tompson Siagian, a spokesman for the attorney general. “In such a lucrative industry, payoffs are common.”

According to the Havocscope Contraband Index, the market in Illegal Logging is listed at $15 Billion.