Backgrounder

Tom Lembong verdict: Loyalty, not merit, takes precedence

Before the final verdict and sentence were handed down in July 18 in the sugar import graft trial, many had hoped the Jakarta Corruption Court would deliver a just decision. This did not turn out to be the case, and Thomas "Tom" Trikasih Lembong was convicted and handed a penalty of four years and six months in prison and a fine of Rp 750 million (US$46,000).

Mass launch of Red-and-White Cooperatives risks fiscal loss, local mismanagement

The Prabowo Subianto administration has pressed ahead with launching the Red-and-White Cooperatives (KMP) program, one of the president's flagship economic initiatives, despite an ongoing revision of the Cooperatives Law still under deliberation in the House of Representatives.

Edition

July 18, 2025

‘Oil godfather’ named suspect, yet justice remain islands apart

After five months of intense speculation, Muhammad Riza Chalid, dubbed the "godfather of oil", has been named as a suspect by the Attorney General's Office (AGO) for his alleged role in a colossal Rp 285 trillion (US$17.4 billion) graft case. The scandal implicates subsidiaries of state-owned oil and gas holding company Pertamina as well as third-party contractors.

KPK uncovers major graft in EDC procurement at BRI

The KPK has uncovered a large-scale corruption case involving BRI, one of the country's largest state-owned lenders. The scandal, estimated to involve hundreds of billions of rupiah, pertains to the procurement of EDC machines and implicates several former BRI executives. The case not only raises concerns about accountability within SOEs, but also threatens to erode public trust in the financial sector, where SOEs play a dominant role.

Edition

July 11, 2025

Prabowo’s nominee for Washington post proves to be an anti-climax

President Prabowo Subianto's choice of a senior bureaucrat to be Indonesia's new ambassador to the United States is somewhat anticlimactic, casting doubts on whether he has picked the right person for the right job, and at the right time.

Agrinas Palma undertakes palm oil mission with new leadership

State-owned oil palm producer PT Agrinas Palma Nusantara, established just last March through a spin-off from a state-owned construction firm to refocus on the agriculture sector, has unexpectedly restructured its BoD and BoC. The leadership shake-up comes as the company carries a mandate to manage illegal oil palm plantations seized by the Indonesian government. The confiscated land—spanning hundreds of thousands of hectares—was taken from companies found to have violated laws such as the Forestry Law, including several prominent palm oil firms also active in downstream production.

Edition

July 4, 2025

Bobby Nasution: Black sheep of the Jokowi clan

North Sumatra Governor Bobby Nasution consistently attracts negative press. The 33-year-old Gerindra politician and son-in-law of former president Joko "Jokowi" Widodo may soon be questioned by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) after his close aide was arrested in a recent graft scandal in the province.

Danantara to fund housing plan, shelving foreign loan talks

Public Housing and Settlements Minister Maruarar "Ara" Sirait took many by surprise when he announced that Danantara Investment Management Agency would finance one of President Prabowo Subianto's flagship campaign promises: the construction of 3 million subsidized homes. Danantara has pledged a loan of US$ 138 million for the project. With this move, earlier plans to finance the program through foreign loans were effectively shelved.