The government has revoked the passports of oil magnate Riza Chalid and Jurist Tan, a former special staff member to ex-Minister of Education Nadiem Makarim, following their designation as suspects in separate corruption cases by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO).

AGO spokesman, Anang Supriatna, said the revocation was carried out in coordination with the Ministry of Immigration and Correctional Institution to prevent both individuals from leaving their current locations abroad.

“We have requested the revocation of their passports. Both RC and JT are now stateless,” Anang told reporters on Monday, October 6, 2025.

Anang said the move aims to ensure both fugitives remain within the jurisdictions where they are believed to be hiding.

The Directorate General of Immigration officially revoked Jurist Tan’s passport on August 4, 2025, upon AGO’s request, while Riza Chalid’s passport had been revoked earlier on July 10, 2025, shortly after he was placed under a travel ban.

Riza is accused of being the beneficial owner of PT Navigator Khatulistiwa and PT Orbit Terminal, two companies implicated in the alleged corruption of crude oil trading management.

Jurist Tan, meanwhile, has been named a suspect in a graft case involving the digitalization of education programs at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology (Kemendikbudristek) from 2019 to 2022.

Implication of passport revocation

However, international law expert Hikmahanto Juwana argued that the revocation of one’s passport does not automatically mean a person becomes stateless.

“Revoking or withdrawing a passport is not the same as stripping someone of his or her citizenship,” Hikmahanto told Indonesia Business Post on Monday, October 6, 2025.

“A passport can be withdrawn when a person suspected of committing a crime with a minimum sentence of five years is abroad,” Hikmahanto said.

He cited that if a passport is only withdrawn, the individual remains a citizen, but loses the ability to travel internationally.

“If Riza Chalid’s passport has merely been withdrawn, he cannot leave Malaysia because his passport is no longer valid,” he said.

However, Hikmahanto added, the situation would be different if the individual possessed dual nationality or another valid passport.

“If he has citizenship and a valid passport from another country, he could still travel using that,” he noted.

He referred to Article 32 of Indonesia’s Immigration Law, which governs the withdrawal of passports. The law states that a passport may be withdrawn from an Indonesian citizen accused of crimes harming the state or violating national laws with a minimum sentence of five years but such withdrawal must be accompanied by the issuance of a temporary travel document, known as Surat Perjalanan Laksana Paspor Republik Indonesia (SPLP), to facilitate their return to Indonesia.

“The law clearly intends for passport withdrawal to be part of a process to bring the person back home not to strip them of nationality,” Hikmahanto emphasized.

In other words, the withdrawal of a passport is an administrative measure, not a declaration of statelessness. Citizenship can only be revoked through a formal legal process, such as renunciation or proven acquisition of another nationality, under Law No. 12/2006 on Citizenship.

Citizenship and International Legal Implications

The claim that Riza and Jurist are now stateless, according to legal observers, raises questions under international law, as statelessness typically occurs through formal loss or renunciation of nationality not merely from passport revocation.

Indonesia, as a signatory to the 1954 Convention Relating to the Status of Stateless Persons, is required to adhere to due process before declaring an individual stateless.

The AGO’s move reflects Indonesia’s increasingly aggressive stance in pursuing fugitives abroad, particularly in high profile corruption cases involving billions in state losses.

As of Monday, both Riza Chalid and Jurist Tan remain at large. Authorities have yet to disclose their precise locations.