Prosecutors uncover US$17 billion crude oil corruption loss

Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia’s Attorney General’s Office (AGO) announced that the total state financial and economic losses from a major corruption case involving the management of crude oil and refinery products have reached Rp285 trillion (about US$17 billion).

Director of Investigations at the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) Abdul Qohar disclosed the figure during a press conference on Thursday evening at the AGO headquarters in Jakarta.

“Based on verified calculations, the total losses amounted to Rp285,017,731,964,389, comprising direct state financial losses and broader economic losses,” Qohar remarked.

This updated figure marks a significant rise from an earlier estimate of Rp193.7 trillion. Qohar explained that the AGO revised the figure after further developments in the case since the first suspect was named in February 2024.

“As the investigation progressed, we engaged experts to assess the broader economic impact in addition to the financial losses to the state,” he remarked.

The losses originated from multiple sources, including crude oil exports, crude oil and fuel imports through brokers, and the misappropriation of compensation and subsidies.

On Thursday, the AGO named nine new suspects in the case, which centers on alleged mismanagement and corruption at PT Pertamina Subholding and among upstream oil and gas contractors (KKKS) from 2018 to 2023.

Related news: SOE minister to review Pertamina following crude oil corruption case

The suspects include:

AN, former VP of Supply and Distribution at PT Pertamina
HB, former Director of Marketing and Commerce at PT Pertamina
TN, former VP of Integrated Supply Chain
DS, former VP of Crude and Trading at Pertamina's Integrated Supply Chain (ISC)
AS, Director of Gas, Petrochemical, and New Business at PT Pertamina International Shipping
HW, former SVP of Integrated Supply Chain
MH, former Business Development Manager at PT Trafigura
IP, Business Development Manager at PT Mahameru Kencana Abadi
MRC, beneficial owner of PT Tangki Merak and PT Orbit Terminal Merak

Eight suspects have been detained for 20 days starting Thursday. One, identified as businessman M. Riza Chalid, remains at large and is reportedly outside Indonesia.

The suspects are charged under Articles 2 and 3 of the 1999 Anti-Corruption Law (as amended in 2001), in conjunction with Article 18 of the same law and Article 55 of the Indonesian Criminal Code.

Related news: Pertamina needs independent team to restore public trust: MPR

