The Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU) begin the hearing on the case of alleged cartel-like practices related to increase of salt prices in December 2018. The KPPU finally reveal name of Companies allegedly involved in the scheme in the first week of the month. The accused Companies denied the allegation, but the investigators persist.

The defendant in the case of corruption of construction of IPDN buildings one Dudy Jocom had been convicted late last year. But the KPK continue the investigation to the cases allegedly happen in several other regions and named Dudy and others as suspects. The examination of witnesses started this week, and the KPK so far had examined several notable names including former Minister of Home Affairs one Gamawan Fauzi.

Over a year has passed since the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) announced their investigation into the irregularities in Bank Mandiri’s issuance of a credit facility for PT Tirta Amarta Bottling. The  estimated losses sustained by the State in said case reached over Rp1 trillion. The trial of the suspects began in mid-2018, but to everyone’s surprise, the Corruption Court of the Bandung District Court recently decided to acquit all of the defendants.

The trial of Syafruddin “Syaf” Arsyad Temenggung, the former Chairman of the Indonesia’s Bank Restructuring Agency (BPPN), who allegedly misused his authority in the Bank Indonesia Liquidity Assistance (BLBI) graft case, ended in September 2018. The Panel of Judges of the Corruption Court at the Central Jakarta District Court ruled in favor of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and declared Syaf guilty of the first alternative charge. Syaf filed for an appeal but on the second day of 2019 the Panel of Appeal rejected the appeal. Unfortunately for Syaf, his punishment was aggravated.

On December 20, 2018, the Central Jakarta District Court registered a lawsuit filed against PT Spinindo Mitradaya and several others. The name of the Company might not be familiar but it was established by the late Sukamdani Sahid Gitosardjono, the founder of the Sahid Group. It is interesting to see that the lawsuit was filed by one of the founders of the Company and that the Plaintiffs demanded a compensation of Rp80 billion.

After being hit with the criminal investigations implicating several of its affiliated companies, and the termination of the license for the utilization of 2.3 GHz frequency held by PT First Media Tbk (KBLV) and its subsidiary PT Intenux, one would think that things wouldn’t get any worse for the Lippo group, but it did. By the end of December 2018, several customers of PT Satyagraha Dinamika Unggul (developer of Holland Village and subsidiary of PT Lippo Karawaci Tbk (LPKR)) filed four separate lawsuits against the Company.

We have been exposed to public disputes between PT First Media Tbk (KBLV) and its subsidiary PT Internux with the Ministry of Communication and Informatics for several months now and we all know that the disputes ended with KBLV and Internux’s defeat. The two Companies lost their rights to utilize the 2.3 GHz frequency after trying to sue the Ministry. Several weeks ago, PT Smartfren Telecom Tbk (FREN) filed a lawsuit against the Ministry. There are important differences in the lawsuit if compared to the lawsuit previously filed by KBLV and Internux.

Kim Johanes Mulia came to the rescue for PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines. Kim, however, has problems of his own. Several weeks after PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines escaped from bankruptcy, Kim was sued. The person who filed for the lawsuit is one Adang Bunyamin, the same person who once made Kim a defendant in a case of fraud. This time Adang accused Kim of default.