Interpol’s Indonesia National Central Bureau (NCB), part of the international relations division of the National Police, confirmed on Tuesday that it had submitted the request on behalf of the Attorney General’s Office (AGO).

The AGO, which completed the necessary requirements last week to submit the request, is leading the graft investigation into the fuel fraud case related to Pertamina.

“The Red Notice will only be issued after assessments are carried out by the Commission for the Control of Interpol’s Files [CCF] and the Notice and Diffusions Task Force [NDTF] at Interpol headquarters,” Indonesia NCB secretary Brig. Gen. Untung Widyatmoko said, as quoted by Antara.

Riza is wanted in connection with the AGO’s probe into alleged fraud in fuel imports between 2018 and 2023, as well as in the procurement of subsidized lower-octane gasoline allegedly sold as a higher-octane fuel, which is estimated to have cost the state Rp 286 trillion (US$17.5 billion).

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The office has arrested 17 suspects in the case so far, including senior Pertamina officials and Riza’s son Kerry Adrianto Riza, the beneficial owner of a private oil and gas shipping company allegedly involved in the import scheme.

The AGO named Riza as a suspect in July over alleged money laundering, after he ignored three summons from the office. He is also under investigation for conspiring with executives at Pertamina and its subsidiaries to manipulate a lease agreement for a fuel terminal at Merak Port in Banten.

Dubbed the “gasoline godfather”, Riza has long been a dominant player in the country’s oil and gas industry.

Immigration and Corrections Minister Agus Andrianto said at the time that Riza was thought to be living in Malaysia after fleeing Indonesia during the AGO’s first wave of arrests in February.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim acknowledged that he knew and had met Riza, but stressed that his government would not interfere in any ongoing legal procedures, Tempo.co reported in July.

“Let the legal process in Indonesia run its course,” Anwar said on July 29 in Jakarta, during a meeting with chief editors of Indonesian media outlets.

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Riza was with the Malaysian premier during a visit with Sultan Sallehuddin of Kedah state on Oct. 2, 2022, which was later posted to the official Instagram account of the Kedah Royal Family.

While the purpose of the meeting was not disclosed, some observers saw it as an attempt by Riza to secure management rights for a rare earth mine in Kedah, which Anwar has dismissed.

“I was given the opportunity to meet Sultan Sallehuddin Sultan Badlishah, and my friend [Riza] was with me at the palace,” Anwar told reporters after an event in Kuala Lumpur suburb Bangsar on Aug. 4, 2023, as quoted by independent news portal Free Malaysia Today.

“I don’t want to associate this issue with anything other than that,” adding that no discussions on rare earth mining took place during the meeting with the Kedah sultan.

The management of rare earth elements has sparked intense debate in Malaysia, where the federal government and the Kedah state administration were locked in a dispute over control of the lucrative mine in 2023. (dds)