Former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD accuses former Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati of being overly protective of her subordinates at the Directorate General of Taxes and the Directorate General of Customs and Excise during her tenure under President Joko Widodo and early in President Prabowo Subianto’s administration.
In a video posted on his personal YouTube channel on November 4, 2025, Mahfud said Sri Mulyani’s protective stance prevented several corruption cases within the Finance Ministry from being publicly exposed.
“Bu Sri Mulyani was too protective. She didn’t want cases in her office to become public discussions or expose corruption,” Mahfud said.
He also claimed that Sri Mulyani attempted to lobby him to halt the investigation into a Rp349 trillion (US$21 billion) money-laundering case involving the Finance Ministry. He further alleged that she even used intermediaries from the House of Representatives (DPR) to try to suppress the case.
“When I was uncovering the Rp349 trillion money-laundering case, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) also became involved. There was even a kind of sting operation at the airport − it was reported in the media,” Mahfud said.
However, he added, the case’s progress soon stalled, which he attributed to behind-the-scenes lobbying from the ministry.
“At that time, there were indeed lobbying efforts by the Finance Ministry − possibly by the minister herself − to ensure the case wouldn’t move forward,” Mahfud said.
Mahfud, who once served as Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court, recounted a personal conversation with Sri Mulyani about one such case.
“Bu Sri Mulyani once met with me about that case. I told her, ‘Bu, this case should be pursued,’” Mahfud recalled.
According to him, Sri Mulyani objected to prosecuting her subordinates, arguing that they were victims of external institutional influence rather than perpetrators.
“She said, ‘Pak, I don’t agree with punishing my staff. They’re victims of another institution. I’ve worked hard to reform them, but they were ruined by others,’” Mahfud said, quoting Sri Mulyani’s response.
The Rp349 trillion money-laundering case originated from findings by the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) in 2023, which identified suspicious transactions across the Finance Ministry − including within the Directorate General of Taxes and Directorate General of Customs and Excise. The revelations caused a national uproar and raised concerns about the ministry’s weak internal oversight against financial crimes.
Current Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has also alluded to similar issues. He cited that Attorney General ST Burhanuddin once informed him that there had been efforts in the past to shield Finance Ministry officials from legal scrutiny, preventing corruption cases from progressing.
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