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AGO names suspects in Pertamina fuel import scandal
“Investigators will detain the seven suspects for the next 20 days, starting from Feb. 24,” Jampidsus director of investigations Abdul Qohar said at a press briefing late on Monday night.
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President director Riva Siahaan of PT Pertamina Patra Niaga, the commercial arm of state-owned oil and gas giant Pertamina, is detained after being named a suspect in a corruption case by the Attorney General's Office (AGO) in Jakarta on Feb. 25, 2025. (Antara Foto/Rivan Awal Lingga)
T
he Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has named executives at subsidiaries of state-owned oil and gas giant Pertamina suspects for allegedly engaging in an embezzlement scheme that involved passing off lower-quality imported fuel as a more expensive, high-octane brand, resulting in an estimated US$11 billion in state losses.
The Office of the Assistant Attorney General for Extraordinary Crimes named two presidents-director of Pertamina subsidiaries along with two other higher-ups as suspects in the investigation.
They are Pertamina PT Patra Niaga president director Riva Siahaan and PT Pertamina International Shipping president director Yoki Firnandi, as well as Sani Dinar Saifuddin and Agus Purwono of PT Kilang Pertamina International.
The AGO also named three suspects from two private oil and gas shipping companies. They are Muhammad Keery Andrianto Riza, the owner of PT Navigator Khatulistiwa; Gading Ramadan Joede, a commissioner at PT Jenggala Maritim; and Dimas Werhaspati, a commissioner at both companies.
“Investigators will detain the seven suspects for the next 20 days, starting from Feb. 24,” Jampidsus director of investigations Abdul Qohar said at a press briefing late on Monday night.
The seven suspects are accused of colluding to manipulate Pertamina’s oil import and export deals from 2018 to 2023 in violation of an Energy and Mineral Resources Ministerial regulation that requires Pertamina to prioritize domestic crude oil before considering imports.
According to Abdul, the scheme began with Riva, Sani and Agus deliberately reducing Pertamina refineries’ production, leading to the underutilization of domestic oil and forcing the company to import crude oil and refined products to meet domestic needs.
