We reported the end of the prolonged international dispute involving Bayan Resources just two months ago. And now, a new legal issue has emerged. Five subsidiaries of BYAN filed a lawsuit against the Minister of Investment/Head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM). Through disclosure of information on IDX published earlier this week, BYAN disclosed the reasons for the lawsuit.

Two months ago, PT PGAS Solution, a subsidiary of PT Perusahaan Gas Negara (Persero) Tbk (PGAS), filed a tort lawsuit against PT Totalindo Eka Persada Tbk (TOPS), the developer of Mal Taman Anggrek. The lawsuit piqued our interest in the construction company. In the lawsuit, PGAS Solution demanded compensation amounting to over Rp19 billion. But even though one problem is not over, Totalindo is already facing another problem. The latest lawsuit was filed against the company last week. This is the fifth lawsuit brought against Totalindo since September 2021 and the third lawsuit brought by the same plaintiff, namely Tiurma Sihombing.

Last week a default lawsuit was filed against Danny Nugroho of Bank Capital. The court did not mention the subject matter. Our search found that Danny had already filed a lawsuit against the same party in October 2021. Even though the lawsuits were filed in vastly different timeframes, the trials of these two contradictory lawsuits will be held in the last week of this month.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) named PT Merial Esa (PT ME) a suspect in 2019 in connection to the Bakamla graft case. The Company’s owner, Fahmi Darmawansyah, was convicted in the same case in 2017. However, it took longer for the KPK to prosecute the Company. The trial on PT ME only started in January 2022. Unlike the prolonged inquisition process, the court proceedings take place quickly. Far from media coverage, the prosecutors have read out their demands this week.

It has been over twelve years since the Montara H1-ST1 wellhead caught fire in 2009. The incident caused environmental damages to Indonesia’s coast. The companies involved insisted on their innocence. Representatives of the affected people and farmers filed a class-action lawsuit in the Australian Federal Court. In Indonesia, the Government also tried several means to demand the parties be held accountable. The last time we reported on the proceedings was last year, when the Court gave a very satisfying result. However, the Court’s judgment is meaningless if the companies involved deny responsibility. So far, the farmers have not received the compensation they should have received. The Indonesian Government is drafting a Presidential Regulation (Perpres) that will be used as a legal basis to sue the parties involved.

Last year we witnessed the trial of 13 corporate suspects in the corruption case involving State-owned insurance company PT Asuransi Jiwasraya (Persero). In the evening of Aug. 16, 2021, the Panel of Judges decided to annul the indictment of the case, demanding the prosecutors to submit the dockets separately for each company. At first, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) objected to the decision and pledged to resist. Later, the AGO accepted the decision. Court proceedings continued. Towards the end of last week, the Panel of Judges declared PT Sinarmas Asset Management guilty.