Nearly a year has passed since PT Pelangi Indah Canindo Tbk (PICO), a cylinder tank manufacturer, started to face a series of lawsuits. In addition to the lawsuit on Suspension of Debt Payment filed against the Company, it is also in dispute with one of its creditors in two different courts. The PKPU period was again extended to April 2022, and PICO was sued again last month. It’s the eighth lawsuit registered in three different courts filed within the past two years.

The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) successfully uncovered corruption at ASABRI and Asuransi Jiwasraya. It is also investigating several other high-profile corruption cases, including those related to the flag airline Garuda Indonesia. Nevertheless, some cases remain unconvincing, including the allegations of corruption related to the Social Security Agency for Employment (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan or BPJS-TK) revealed earlier last year. There are allegations that what had happened in Jiwasraya also happened in BPJS-TK. The AGO is scheduled to conduct the last case reconstruction this week.

Yoory Corneles Pinontoan, the former president director of the Regional Public Corporation Pembangunan Sarana Jaya (PD Sarana Jaya), who is suspected of abusing his authority to enrich himself and several other parties, was found guilty last week. Besides Yoory, three other individual defendants and one corporate defendant were also found guilty.

It has been two years since we’ve been exposed to the problems related to Koperasi Simpan Pinjam (Kospin) Indosurya Cipta. The case revealed other problems related to the operational activities of savings and loan cooperatives unions. The financial dispute in Kospin Indosurya was settled amicably, but the owner of the Company and several parties were named suspect of fraud and embezzlement by the National Police (POLRI). The peace agreement was also challenged by dozens of creditors, but the attempt failed. We stopped hearing updates until the end of last week. Hundreds of clients of the Kospin filed a civil lawsuit and POLRI finally detained the three individuals suspects.

There is nothing simple in a long legal battle between PT Bayan Resources Tbk (BYAN) and its subsidiary Bayan International Pte Ltd against ASX-listed White Energy Co Ltd et al. The dispute concerns their coal upgrading project in Kalimantan, Indonesia. In 2017 the Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC) found that BYAN was in breach of its coal supply obligation in its decision on the second tranche of the proceedings. Recently, the SICC decided on the third and final tranche of the proceedings.

Last month the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN), Erick Thohir, approached the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) with a report on allegations of corruption in PT Garuda Indonesia (Persero) Tbk. The report mentions known allegations. The details of which were mentioned in the trial of Garuda Indonesia’s former President Director Emirsyah Satar. Soon after the Minister paid AGO a visit, we learned that the AGO has been investigating since November 2021 and the investigation is not limited to the allegations Minister Erick had reported. The AGO have already named two suspects. One of whom is related to the predicate crime since 2017.

Towards the end of last year, PT Gandaerah Hendana (PT GH) was declared guilty by the Rengat District Court. The Court is of the opinion that PT Gandaerah Hendana (PT GH) had failed to anticipate and resolve the fires in its concession and thus contributed to the 2019 forest fires. The Panel of Judges also gave the Government a warning. That said, the Company insisted that it did nothing wrong, so it appealed. The Panel of Appeals recently ruled in favor of the Company. 

Bambang Trihatmodjo has been having a public feud with the Ministry of Finance for the past two years. Not long ago, we learned that Bambang filed a different lawsuit against several other individuals, whom Bambang thinks should be involved in the ongoing feud instead of him. Among the names of the defendants is the former Minister of Trade, Enggartiasto Lukita. The trial of the latest lawsuit is scheduled to be held today, Feb. 23, 2022. However, several days ago, Bambang’s efforts at the cassation stage regarding a different lawsuit were rejected by the Supreme Court. Bambang is now cornered.