Attorney General's Office Conducts Fresh Raids on Dozens of Locations Across Riau and Medan; Suspects' Assets from 2022 Palm Oil Exports Seized

Jakarta - Dozens of locations in Riau and Medan have been raided again in connection with an investigation into the alleged smuggling of crude palm oil (Crude Palm Oil/CPO) disguised as Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) throughout the period from 2022 to 2024.

“Over the past two weeks or so, we have conducted raids on dozens of locations in Riau and Medan,” said Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, Director of Investigation at the Attorney General’s Special Crimes Division (Jampidsus), on Monday, 2 March 2026.

He stated that investigators are currently in the process of seizing assets belonging to the suspects that have been secured during the raids.

“Among them are several land parcels and also palm oil mills (PKS), and we are currently processing the seizure of these assets. There are also heavy machinery, vehicles, and other items,” he said.

The raids, he noted, are still ongoing in Riau and Medan. There, investigators are also questioning a number of witnesses.

“We are not bringing witnesses to the Attorney General’s headquarters in Jakarta, but rather questioning them on-site because we are conducting direct raids and we need to work quickly so that many pieces of evidence do not go missing,” he said.

The investigation into the alleged manipulation of palm oil exports has implicated a number of high-profile individuals. The Attorney General’s Office has designated 11 individuals as suspects in the case of crude palm oil (CPO) exports disguised as Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME) throughout the period from 2022 to 2024.

The suspects come from various sectors, ranging from officials at the Directorate General of Customs and Excise and the Ministry of Industry, to the board of directors of private companies. They are suspected of being involved in the practice of manipulating harmonised system (HS) codes to evade export fee obligations.

One of the suspects charged is FJR, the former Director of Customs Affairs at the Directorate General of Customs and Excise who now serves as Head of the Customs Office for Bali, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara. Additionally, investigators have also charged LHB, who serves as Head of the Sub-Division for Non-Food Plantation Products Industry and Senior Policy Analyst and Functional Advisor for Industry Development at the Ministry of Industry’s Directorate of Forest Products Industry.