The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has named businessman Muhammad Riza Chalid (MRC), the beneficial owner of PT Orbit Terminal Merak (OTM), as a suspect in the ongoing investigation into a major corruption scandal involving the mismanagement of crude oil and refinery products at state-owned energy PT Pertamina from 2018 to 2023.

Riza is accused of conspiring with former Pertamina officials to manipulate a cooperation agreement for the leasing of the Merak Fuel Terminal, in violation of standard procurement regulations and at the expense of state-owned assets.

According to the AGO, the scheme involved the removal of a crucial asset ownership clause from a 10-year contract, which would have transferred ownership of the terminal to Pertamina’s subsidiary, Patra Niaga, at the end of the agreement.

"The clause on asset sharing, which was clearly outlined in a feasibility study by Universitas Indonesia experts, was deliberately omitted from the contract," Director of Investigations at the AGO’s Special Crimes Division, Abdul Qohar, told a press conference on Thursday, July 10, 2025.

Qohar said Riza Chalid collaborated with several other suspects identified as Former Marketing and Trading Director at Pertamina (2014) Alfian Nasution Former VP of Supply and Distribution at Pertamina (2011–2015) Hanung Budya, and Commissioner of PT Jenggala Maritim and President Director of PT Orbit Terminal Merak Gading Ramadhan Joedo, to push through the terminal leasing deal despite Pertamina not requiring additional storage capacity at the time.

The deal, he added, was carried out with inflated rental prices and lacked transparency.

The Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) estimates put the resulting loss from the OTM contract at Rp2.9 trillion (US$178 million). "This is a total loss, as calculated by BPK," Qohar said.

This latest development brings the total estimated financial and economic loss from the broader corruption case to more than Rp285 trillion (US$17.5 billion), further implicating high-ranking figures in Pertamina and its subsidiaries, as well as international trading companies. The AGO has vowed to pursue all suspects vigorously and restore state losses.

Further complicating the case, Riza Chalid is reportedly not in Indonesia and is believed to be residing in Singapore. "He has failed to respond to three summonses. He is currently located in Singapore," Qohar said, noting that efforts are underway to bring him back to face questioning.