The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has named nine individuals as new suspects in a sweeping corruption investigation into the mismanagement of crude oil and refined fuel trading at State energy company PT Pertamina, its subsidiaries, and several oil contractors between 2018 and 2023.

The suspects include former senior Pertamina executives, corporate partners, and a controversial businessman known for his shadowy influence in Indonesia’s energy sector, Muhammad Riza Chalid (MRC).

AGO’s Director of Special Crimes Investigations Abdul Qohar said the decision followed months of intensive investigation that uncovered multiple layers of wrongdoing ranging from irregular imports and exports to illegal leasing contracts and inflated compensation schemes allegedly causing significant losses to the state and national economy.

“The investigation team has gathered sufficient evidence to name nine individuals as (new) suspects,” Abdul Qohar said on Thursday evening, July 10, 2025, citing criminal violations under Indonesia’s anti-corruption laws.

Suspects and alleged roles

1.​ Alfian Nasution (AN) – Former VP of Supply and Distribution at Pertamina (2011–2015), later CEO of PT Pertamina Patra Niaga (2021–2023). He allegedly authorized overpriced fuel terminal leases and manipulated compensation for subsidized fuel.

2.​ Hanung Budya (HB) – Former Marketing and Trading Director at Pertamina (2014), accused of approving unlawful direct appointments and inflated contracts related to storage facilities.

3.​ Toto Nugroho (TN) – Former SVP of Integrated Supply Chain (2017–2018), currently CEO of Indonesia Battery Corporation. He allegedly approved import contracts with disqualified foreign suppliers.

4.​ Dwi Sudarsono (DS) – VP of Crude and Product Trading at Pertamina (2019–2020), suspected of orchestrating unnecessary crude exports while importing similar oil at higher prices.

5.​ Arif Sukmara (AS) – Director at Pertamina International Shipping, allegedly involved in inflating vessel charter costs and manipulating bidding to favor specific companies.

6.​ Hasto Wibowo (HW) – Former SVP of Integrated Supply Chain (2018–2020), accused of illegally awarding contracts to Trafigura Asia Trading without competitive bidding and selling diesel below base price to private and state companies.

7.​ Martin Haendra Nata (MH) – Former executive at Trafigura Pte Ltd, accused of conspiring with Pertamina officials to secure contracts through backdoor deals.

8.​ Indra Putra (IP) – Business Development Manager at PT Mahameru Kencana Abadi, allegedly coordinated oil transport deals with inflated costs.

9.​ Muhammad Riza Chalid (MRC) – Businessman and beneficial owner of PT Tangki Merak and PT Orbit Terminal Merak. Prosecutors accuse him of conspiring with Pertamina executives to secure illegal lease agreements for fuel terminals with inflated pricing and loss of state ownership rights.

Political and industrial impact

The emergence of high-profile names − including active state enterprise leaders and one of Indonesia’s most elusive oil traders marks a significant development in the AGO’s ongoing efforts to root out corruption in the energy sector.

The scandal could place greater pressure on the government to enhance transparency and reform procurement practices in the oil and gas industry, long seen as opaque and vulnerable to elite manipulation.

No formal detention orders have yet been issued, but AGO officials say further steps including asset seizure and financial audits are likely in the coming weeks as they seek to calculate total losses, which are believed to be in the trillions of rupiah.

Systematic abuses

The probe continues with investigators highlightingmultiple irregularities, including:

• ​Export of domestic crude oil despite domestic refining capacity
• ​Inflated compensation for Pertalite fuel subsidies
• ​Leasing deals for terminal and shipping services awarded without public tender
• Preferential treatment to non-qualified international suppliers
• Direct appointments and tender rigging involving foreign energy traders
• Undervalued diesel sales to State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) and private firms

Prosecutors allege these acts violated Articles 2 and 3 of the Corruption Law (Law No. 31/1999, as amended by Law No. 20/2001) in conjunction with Article 55 of the Criminal Code, which governs collective responsibility in criminal acts.