Coal mining is booming in Indonesia due to high demand from India and China. Very often the coal reserves are found in rainforests.
When Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, the Indonesian president, was about to announce a two-year logging ban, mining permits in forests were frozen.
But Al Jazeera has found out that ministry of forestry officials hastily issued many permits just before the moratorium was recently signed.
Mining executives, who declined to be named, told Al Jazeera that huge bribes were paid.
The Ministry of Forestry denies that corrupt practices have taken place.
Although yet to be proven in court, the allegations suggest Yudhoyono's international promise to fight climate change and eradicate corruption still have a long way to go.
Al Jazeera's Step Vaessen reports from Jakarta.
