Former Lampung Governor Arinal Djunaidi Named as Corruption Suspect

The special criminal investigation team (Pidsus) of the Lampung Attorney General’s Office has officially detained former Lampung Governor Arinal Djunaidi at Way Huie Detention Centre on Tuesday night (28/4). Arinal has been designated as a suspect in the case of alleged corruption involving an oil and gas commission worth USD 17.2 million or Rp271 billion. The funds represent a commission or participating interest (PI) of 10 per cent in PT Lampung Energi Berjaya (LEB) from Pertamina Hulu Energi Offshore South East Sumatra (PHE OSES) for the period 2019-2022. This law enforcement action marks a new chapter in the investigation into the flow of oil and gas commission funds in the Land of Ruwa Jurai. Arinal had previously failed to appear twice for summonses from investigators, but he finally complied with the Pidsus team’s call on Tuesday afternoon (28/4). The summons was related to statements from three defendants—Heri Wardoyo (Commissioner of PT LEB), M Hermawan Eriadi (President Director of PT LEB), and Budi Kurniawan (Operations Director of PT LEB)—in the ongoing trial at the Tanjungkarang Corruption Court. These three defendants provided testimony implicating former Lampung Governor Arinal Djunaidi in the alleged oil and gas commission corruption case. After undergoing a marathon examination until Tuesday night (28/4), around 10:25 PM WIB, Arinal emerged from the Pidsus building of the Lampung Attorney General’s Office. He was seen wearing a mask and a pink detainee vest, escorted by officials from the Attorney General’s Office and security personnel. The back of the vest clearly read “Detainee Pidsus Lampung Attorney General’s Office,” and Arinal’s hands were bound with iron handcuffs as he was led to the Attorney General’s Office detention vehicle by the officers. The former Lampung Governor walked with his head down, avoiding photographers’ flashes, and remained silent when questioned by journalists. Behind the iron bars of the detention vehicle’s window, Arinal, wearing the detainee vest with his hands handcuffed, sat slumped in the back seat with a blank stare directed out the window. Head of the Lampung High Prosecutor’s Office (Kajati), Danang Suryo Wibowo, stated that the suspect designation for ARD, the former Head of Lampung Province for the 2019-2024 period, was made after the Pidsus investigation team conducted a series of in-depth witness examinations and case reviews. Based on the results of that exposition, the prosecutors found two valid pieces of evidence to implicate ARD in the vortex of the alleged corruption of the oil and gas commission revenue-sharing funds. The investigation team assessed that the collected evidence was more than sufficient to elevate ARD’s status from witness to suspect. “The results of the examination and case review revealed two sufficient pieces of evidence related to the alleged criminal corruption involving ARD,” Danang said in his statement on Tuesday night (28/4). This alleged corruption case concerns the management of 10 per cent Participating Interest (PI) funds valued at USD 17.286 million or Rp272 billion in the Offshore South East Sumatra area. The PI funds themselves represent the region’s rights in oil and gas working area management, which should be utilised for regional development interests. “For investigation purposes, ARD has been detained at the Class I Bandar Lampung Detention Centre in Way Huie. The detention is for 20 days, effective from today, 28 April, until 17 May 2026,” he said. In this case, investigators are charging Arinal with multiple articles: Article 603 of Law No. 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code in conjunction with Article 18 of Law No. 31 of 1999 on the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption as amended and supplemented by Law No. 20 of 2001 on Amendments to Law No. 31 of 1999 on the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption in conjunction with Article 20 letter c of the Criminal Code. Subsidiarily, Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law No. 31 of 1999. These serious charges are for the alleged abuse of authority in managing state funds intended for regional welfare. Danang emphasised that this step represents transparency to the public, and his office is committed to resolving the case objectively and professionally. He also assured that the entire investigation team is working with integrity in accordance with applicable legal provisions in handling the alleged corruption case. “We uphold the values of justice and human rights, and we open opportunities for the wider community to monitor the handling of this alleged corruption case,” he concluded. This firm action is expected to serve as a strong warning to regional officials in managing large public funds. It is known that in the course of this case, the Pidsus investigation team of the Lampung Attorney General’s Office had previously seized assets belonging to former Lampung Governor Arinal Djunaidi totalling Rp38.5 billion. These billions in assets were seized by the Pidsus team during a search at Arinal’s private residence on Wednesday (3/9/2025). The seized assets included cash in foreign currencies and rupiah amounting to Rp1,356,131,100, deposits in several banks worth Rp4,400,724,575, precious metals weighing 645 grams, 29 land certificates (SHM) valued at Rp28,040,400,000, and seven vehicles worth Rp3.5 billion.