Attorney General's Office: Yeka Alters Cooking Oil Shortage Report to Recommend DMO Removal

Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) has officially revealed the crucial role of Ombudsman RI member Yeka Hendra Fatika (YHF) in a suspected obstruction of justice case related to the 2022 crude palm oil (CPO) export corruption. Director of Special Crimes Investigation (Jampidsus) Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi stated that YHF allegedly manipulated official reports to benefit corporations involved in the case. The investigation began with a probe into cooking oil shortages in February 2022. YHF initiated an investigation into maladministration regarding the cooking oil shortage, but the report’s content was illegally altered. Instead of highlighting the shortage, it was changed to recommend the revocation of the Domestic Market Obligation (DMO). “YHF altered the Ombudsman RI report to recommend DMO removal for export interests,” Syarief said at the Jampidsus building in Jakarta on Monday. The manipulated Investigation Result Report (LHP) No. 418 dated 15 August 2022 was provided to corporate lawyers (AALF Legal) to serve as the basis for administrative and civil lawsuits against the Ministry of Trade. This influenced the court’s decision to acquit the defendants. Investigators suspect YHF acted in concert with others, allegedly receiving funds from PT Wilmar Group via third-party accounts and future project compensation from the company group. Yeka Hendra Fatika is charged under Article 21 of the Corruption Eradication Law in conjunction with Article 20 of Law No. 1/2023 (Criminal Code) for intentionally obstructing corruption investigations. The Attorney General’s Office emphasised that YHF’s actions seriously hindered corruption handling, harming national economic stability, particularly in cooking oil price control. Kejagung has named Yeka Hendra Fatika as a suspect for obstructing justice in the CPO export corruption case. The agency conducted raids in Riau and Medan related to suspected CPO export corruption from 2022-2024, seizing assets including land, palm oil mills, and heavy machinery. Over 20 companies and 11 suspects have been implicated in the alleged CPO export corruption case. Kejagung is targeting assets of the 11 suspects to recover state losses. The Attorney General’s Office has returned Rp13.2 trillion in compensation for state losses from CPO export corruption.