Slowly but surely, the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) continues the inquisition into the Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla)’s graft scandal and the Trans-Seram graft scandal. After the Panel of Judges dropped the verdict on the Bakamla graft suspect Fahmi Darmawansyah (the president director of PT Meriel Esa Indonesia), the KPK imposed a travel ban on Golkar politician Fayakhun Andriadi and PKS politician Yudi Widianan Adia.

South Jakarta District Court is scheduled to start the trial of a tort lawsuit filed by PT Harsco Dana Abadi, PT Anugerah Tunas Asia, and Mr Harsono Amidjojo against Ali Budiarjo, Nugroho, Reksodiputro law firm (ABNR Law), Mr Philip R Payne, and Ms Ricky S Nazir on Monday, July 24.

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. They gave different statements about the root of the problem. 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. Meanwhile, there are still two other disputes taking place in two different state courts.

On July 19, 2017, Tempo magazine published their interview with one Johannes Marliem, the president director of PT Biomorf who is allegedly involved in the electronic identity card (E-KTP) graft scheme. Though Johannes never appeared to testify in court, he said that he had the evidence needed to ensnare more people.

Petroselat Ltd, the subsidiary of PT Sugih Energy Tbk (SUGI) began to face lawsuits on bankruptcy and Suspension of Debts Payment (PKPU) filed by its business partners in April 2016. The Company, however, always managed to escape bankruptcy. But the Company was finally declared bankrupt after the Panel of Judges granted the third lawsuit filed against the Company on July 5, 2017. The meeting of creditors was held on July 18, 2017. To this day, however, SUGI has not submitted any statement regarding this court decision to the Indonesia Stock Exchange.

On April 2017, the Commercial Court of the Central Jakarta District Court published information on a lawsuit for Suspension of Debts Payment (PKPU) registered under case No. 59/Pdt.Sus-PKPU/2017/PN.Jkt.Pst against PT Eterindo Wahanatama Tbk (ETWA). This is the third PKPU lawsuit filed against the Company in this year alone, and the Company has not submitted its financial report since the end of 2016. What’s going on?

Four months have passed since the cruise ship MS Caledonian Sky ran aground and damaged coral reefs in Papua’s Raja Ampat waters. To this day, however, the process of compensation negotiations from the company’s insurance claims remains unclear. The Government also said that it would not hold negotiations for any longer and would rather prepare to sue the Company and the ship’s captain at the Central Jakarta District Court.

PT Megalestari Unggul and its personal guarantors namely Paulus Tannos, Lina Rawung, Catherine Tannos and Pauline Tannos were declared bankrupt by the Commercial Court of the Central Jakarta District Court in February 2017, but the decision made more problems. The debt dispute is a collateral damage of a long-standing dispute between Paulus Tannos and his former business partners. Paulus, who is now residing in Singapore with his family, objected to the bankruptcy decision. In an open statement published on Tempo newspaper last week, Paulus noted that the family was tricked into guaranteeing the debt of PT Megalestari Unggul. Moreover, Paulus claimed he never received any invitation from the court regarding the dispute and therefore the verdict was not valid. But even so, the team of curators still went ahead with their work. The supervisory judge on the case even promulgated the first stage of the distribution of proceeds from the sale of the bankruptcy assets. What should we expect after this?

PT Harsco Dana Abadi, PT Anugerah Tunas Asia, and Mr Harsono Amidjojo have this week filed a tort lawsuit against Ali Budiarjo, Nugroho, Reksodiputro law firm (ABNR Law), Mr Philip R Payne, and Ms Ricky S Nazir.