Dahlan Iskan is Free
In April 2017, Dahlan Iskan was found guilty of corruption by abusing his power in the release of assets of PT Panca Wira Usaha, a company owned by the East Java Provincial Government. At the time, the Corruption Court of the Surabaya District Court punished Dahlan to 2 years of city arrest. Dahlan immediately filed for an appeal, and last week the Panel of Appeals granted the appeal. Dahlan is now a free man.
Setya Novanto’s Pre-Trial Gamble
On July 17, 2017, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) announced the Speaker of the House of Representatives Setya Novanto (who is also the chairman of Golkar) as the new suspect in the electronic identity cards (E-KTP) procurement graft case, and only a few days after Setya Novanto was examined for the third time as a witness on July 14, 2017. On September 4, 2017 Setya Novanto finally filed for a pre-trial. No details on the lawsuit has been published, but the public is already speculating.
Patrialis Akbar’s Case: Closure?
On September 4, 2017, the Corruption Court of the Central Jakarta District Court read the verdict for the former Constitutional Court (MK) Justice Patrialis Akbar and his close friend Kamaludin, both stood accused of receiving bribes. The Panel of Judges found both men guilty of all charges and they’re thus obliged to compensate the State. Does this mark the end of the investigation into the bribery case?
More on Nyonya Meneer’s Bankruptcy
PT Nyonya Meneer (the Company) must accept bankruptcy after the Commercial Court of the Semarang District Court in Central Java decided to cancel the peace agreement that the Company had signed with its creditors back in 2015. The cancellation of the peace agreement was requested by one of the Company’s creditors Hendrianto Bambang Santoso, and it was granted on August 3, 2017. The Company, however, said that they had no idea that this would happen because the Company was in a healthy condition and claimed that they had a total of Rp16 trillion in assets. Interestingly, the team of curators still cannot find the trillions of rupiah assets. In a meeting of creditors held on September 4, 2017, the curators informed that they had only found several assets belonging to the Company, while other assets found were under the name of the Company’s president director and shareholder. In the mean time, the Company tried to make amends with their creditors, and is supposedly in discussion with several potential investors, one of which is the former Minister of Trade Rachmat Gobel.
Corruption in the Directorate General of Taxation
The Attorney General’s Office announced on September 2, 2017, that they had expedited the docket on behalf of one “JJ” f0r the South Jakarta Prosecutor’s Office. One “JJ” is a former official of the Directorate General of Taxation. The person was named a graft suspect on May 4, 2017 for allegedly receiving over Rp14 billion of grafts while serving in the Directorate General. JJ was fired in 2014. JJ is unfortunately not the only Directorate General of Taxation official arrested for corruption.
Bumigas Energi v. Geo Dipa Energi: The End?
The dispute between private energy company PT Bumigas Energi and state-owned energy company PT Geo Dipa Energi (Persero) has been going on for more than a decade. Apart from the civil disputes, Geo Dipa’s former Managing Director Samsudin Warsa stood trial for allegation of fraud after being reported by Bumigas. Lucky for Samsudin, the Panel of Judges of the South Jakarta District Court decided that Samsudin was not guilty. Will this development lead to Geo Dipa continuing their operation?
Aris Budiman, Pansus KPK and the E-KTP Graft Case
The electronic identity cards (E-KTP) graft case has produced many spectacles ever since it was brought to the stage of prosecution. Outside of the trials, the case has become a political fight between the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the House of Representatives (DPR). The DPR has been pressuring the KPK by way of their Special Committee (Pansus) tasked with inquiring the KPK’s authority. The KPK’s employee association filed for a Judicial Review at the Constitutional Court to challenge this inquiry, but the DPR moves forward with their agenda. The Pansus has managed to enlisted the help of several convicts who gave disparaging remarks against the KPK in the Pansus’ hearings. But no one saw this coming: a KPK director speaking unflatteringly of his own institution.
Bukit Uluwatu Escaped Bankruptcy
In December 2016, PT Monroe Consulting Group (MCG), a management and human resources consulting firm, filed a bankruptcy lawsuit against PT Bukit Uluwatu Villa Tbk (BUVA), a hospitality company listed in the IDX with its Alila brands. The petition was rejected by the Panel of Judges of the Commercial Court of the Central Jakarta District Court in February 2017. MCG filed a cassation, but unfortunately the Supreme Court also rejected the petition and upheld the decision of the Commercial Court. And so BUVA escaped bankruptcy. What is interesting about the lawsuit is the small amount of debt disputed (if compared to the Company’s value). But apart from the debt dispute, the Company’s shareholders are now facing tort lawsuits filed by one of their creditors.
Chasing Pertamina’s Former Officials
Back in June 2017, the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Unit (Bareskrim) raided Pertamina’s headquarter in connection to allegation of misappropriation of the proceeds of the Company’s asset sales that occurred in 2011. Several days after, Bareskrim named one suspect but later on the suspect could not be found. On the first week of August 2017, Bareskrim named the suspect a fugitive. To this day, Pertamina is still under scrutiny. They are being investigated in at least four cases of alleged corruption by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO).
On BANI’s Feud : Confusing Verdicts
The Indonesian National Arbitration Board (BANI) is now divided into two: the BANI whose establishment was initiated by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) and established under the BANI Statute in 1977 (BANI Mampang), and the BANI whose formation was initiated by Anita Kolopaking et al and recognized by the Ministry Law and Human Rights in June 2016 (BANI Sovereign). Both BANI went into a dispute. On July 6, 2017, the State Administrative Court (PTUN) in Jakarta decided to side with BANI Mampang and revoked the decision of the Minister of Law and Human Rights. BANI Sovereign appealed. Further complicating the matter, the South Jakarta District Court decided in favor of BANI Sovereign, despite the PTUN’s verdict.