One week after news circulated that the Deputy Minister of Law and Human Rights, Eddy Hiariej, had been named a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK), the anti-corruption institution finally officially announced the case. The commission explained the...

IDX-listed tile manufacturer PT Keramika Indonesia Assosiasi Tbk (KIAS) has started filing lawsuits against the Satgas BLBI and other parties since the middle of this year, however these lawsuits do not seem to adequately represent the problems the company is facing, yet. This week, a third lawsuit was filed, and the company’s subsidiary also filed a separate but related lawsuit.

We know, in Indonesia, corruption can occur in any situation, including in a pandemic. The Ministry of Social Affairs, which is supposed to guarantee the welfare of the Indonesian people, is not immune from this extraordinary criminal practice. After previously the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) succeeded in ensnaring the Minister of Social Affairs, Juliari Batubara, now the KPK has uncovered another corruption scheme which is still related to aid for the people affected by COVID-19.

Trial on the allegation of case brokers that rocked the Supreme Court continues and recently the court listened to the indictment for the latest defendant who is also former Secretary of the Supreme Court, Hasbi Hasan. Hasan, as we all know, is the second secretary of the Supreme Court who was embroiled in a case of alleged corruption within only the past six years.

Several months ago, Karen Agustiawan, former president director of PT Pertamina (Persero), was once again named suspect in a case of alleged corruption related to decisions she made while in office. This time the decision was made by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). Karen filed for a pre-trial but the attempt failed. Karen seemed confident that she is not guilty that she decided to file a different lawsuit, this time against PT PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting Indonesia (PwC), one of the Big 4 top accounting firms in Indonesia, the firm that carried out the audit in the case that ultimately ensnared Karen.

PT Aneka Tambang (Persero) Tbk (ANTM) is cornered. Nearly three years ago we reported that the Panel of Judges of the Surabaya District Court granted the tort lawsuit filed by one Budi Said against the State-owned company. ANTM was ordered to compensate for the losses Budi claimed (Rp817.4 billion). Several months later the decision was annulled by the High Court, but then the Supreme Court decided in favor of Budi. This case is only one of several legal cases that haunts ANTM, including allegations of corruption. Far from media coverage, ANTM continued fighting against the court’s decision but to no avail. In September 2023, the Assembly of Reconsideration (PK) decided to decline ANTM petition. Budi Said, therefore, won the legal battle, but is this really the end for ANTM? It’s not. ANTM apparently refused to obey the court’s decision so Budi Said filed a PKPU lawsuit towards the end of last week. 

The problems that PT Waskita Karya (Persero) Tbk (WSKT) must face will not end anytime soon. The company failed to fulfill its obligation and is now on the brink of delisting from the IDX. Entering December 2023, two new PKPU lawsuits were filed against the company, one of which was the latest lawsuit from Bukaka Teknik Utama (BUKK), a company controlled by the family of Jusuf Kalla (former vice president, main supporter of Anies Baswedan—president candidate from Nasdem, PKS, and PKB). We’ve been following the dispute for a while now until Jusuf Kalla, familiarly addressed as JK, recently claimed that a State-owned company has Rp300 billion of debts to his company. In addition to the debt dispute, we also know BUKK director Sofiah Balfas, was named as a suspect in a case of alleged corruption related to Waskita Karya.

Throughout 2022, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) uncovered at least three cases of alleged corruption related to the export-import sector, one of which escaped the attention of national media outlets. There was alleged corruption in the steel import sector. In the middle of the same year, the AGO named three suspects including another official of the Ministry of Trade and in addition to six corporate suspects. Interesting things happened during the court proceedings.

The Satuan Tugas Penanganan Hak Tagih Negara Dana Bantuan Likuiditas Bank Indonesia (Satgas BLBI) commenced confiscation of asset they believed are related to Setiawan and Hendrawan Harjono of Bank Aspac back in July 2023. The manager of the asset denied involvement in the scandal and four months later challenge the decision through the Jakarta State Administrative Court (PTUN Jakarta).

The policy changes to the Google Play Store that took effect from June 2022 have a bad impact as several new provisions trigger research initiatives from the Business Competition Supervisory Commission (KPPU). Towards the end of September 2022, KPPU announced that it...