Last month the Commercial Court at the Makassar District Court surprised us. The court accepted the lawsuit for Suspension of Debt Payment (PKPU) filed by CV Surya Mas against State EPC firm PT Pembangunan Perumahan (Persero) Tbk (PTPP). PTPP is then required to follow the temporary PKPU process. Interestingly, the court recently announced that the process had been annulled and the PKPU status was revoked.

Over two years ago, in light of the corruption scandal in PT Asuransi Jiwasraya, the public learned about a different problem in PT Asuransi Jiwa Adisarana Wanaartha, also known as WanaArtha Life. The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) decided to seize the company’s assets and, as a result, the company was unable to fulfill its obligations to its clients. The case would actually be the beginning of revelation of other crimes committed by WanaArtha officials. In addition to a criminal investigation initiated by the police, the company operating license has finally been annulled by the Financial Service Authority (OJK) in December 2022.

In the midst of the investigation process carried out by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) into two cases of alleged corruption involving State-owned Telkom Indonesia and its subsidiaries, the public missed news about a similar investigation which also involved several subsidiaries of Telkom Indonesia, perhaps because this process was carried out by the West Jakarta Prosecutors’ Office (Kejari Jakarta Barat), which is smaller in scale. Even so, this case has ensnared eight suspects so far, most of them are officials at Telkom Indonesia subsidiaries, five of whom have already undergone trial. What a mess.

Towards the end of 2022, the investigation team of the Solicitor General for Specific Crimes at the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) announced that they escalated the status of the investigation into alleged corruption in the Trade-Based Export Credit Scheme (SKEBP) for flower crab (rajungan) and beef at State-owned PT Surveyor Indonesia (Persero) to the inquisition stage. We managed to find a court document which explained a similar chronology to the allegations and several weeks later the AGO named suspects in the case, including the official we have previously mentioned. The process continues far from media coverage and this week all defendants have been found guilty.

Two weeks ago, the social media users were shocked by the testimony of an anonymous account which revealed that their relative had committed suicide because they were unable to pay the loan bill on the P2P lending platform, PT Pembiayaan Digital Indonesia (AdaKami). The public forced the parties involved to explain themselves. AdaKami unfortunately did not give a good response because it provided criminal threats to those who conveyed the story, but regardless of what happened after the story was published, we are not surprised. For a long time, P2P lending platforms have been operating by exploiting loopholes in regulations made by the Financial Services Authority (OJK). In the end, users must be burdened with maximum loan interest and once again without supervision from the OJK. Years later, we have to wait for a casualty to see the KPPU enter the picture. KPPU mentions indications of cartel-like practices.

In the midst of all the legal problems that have hit the administration of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, the implementation of Government programs continues. With less than a year remaining before the government changes, the Government is determined to complete the...

Earlier this year, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) announced an investigation into the case of alleged corruption related to PT Graha Telkom Sigma (PT GTS, subsidiary of PT Sigma Cipta Caraka – Sigma). Eight individuals have been named suspects since then and the case allegedly caused State losses amounted to over Rp200 billion. This week, we learned that the AGO developed their investigation and managed to find an entry to a new case, which allegedly caused over Rp300 billion in State losses.

Nearly three years ago we were exposed to the case of alleged corruption related to a land acquisition for the DP 0% housing program, which was the flagship program of then Governor Anies Baswedan. The case was investigated by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and managed to ensnare individual and corporate suspects, including Yoory Corneles Pinontoan, the former president director of the Regional Public Corporation Pembangunan Sarana Jaya (PD Sarana Jaya). The suspects were found guilty in the last week of February 2022 then the POLRI entered the picture. Nearly a year after the verdict was given, earlier this year, the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Unit (Bareskrim POLRI) announced a new and similar case and named Yoory as a suspect. This week, Yoory stands trial for the second time.

In recent years we have seen several examples of poor management of pension funds (dana pension – dapen) for employees of State-owned Enterprises (BUMN). The case related to the Dapen Pertamina even ensnared high profile convicts, including Edward Soeryadjaya, son of the late founder of Astra Group William Soeryadjaya. Apparently, this situation has not escaped the attention of the Ministry of BUMN. In his efforts to eradicate corruption as mandated by the President, several months ago Minister Erick Thohir conveyed allegations of corruption in the management of several Dapen, these allegations were proven this week by an audit report from BPKP on four Dapen which allegedly caused State losses of Rp300 billion. 

In August 2023 the Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) asked the General Elections Commission (KPU) to immediately announce the names of candidates for legislative members at all levels who are former convicts in graft cases and other criminal cases. KPU made the much-needed announcement several days later. Although we agree that this announcement is important, the KPU is not entirely wrong. We have seen how the KPU is struggling with bureaucracy and the rule of law to prevent former convicts from participating in general elections for over five years only to get rejection from the Supreme Court. This year, for a very odd reason, the Supreme Court once again decided to reject the KPU decision to allow such participation.