Former Ombudsman Member Charged with Obstructing CPO Investigation
The Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) has named former Ombudsman member Yeka Hendra Fatika as a suspect in an obstruction of justice case related to crude palm oil (CPO) export permits. Director of Investigations at Jampidsus Kejagung, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, stated that the suspect designation follows developments in a separate bribery case involving judges in the cooking oil matter, which previously implicated lawyer Marcella Santoso.
“After conducting a series of investigations and gathering sufficient evidence, our team has designated Mr YHF, a member of the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia for the 2021-2026 term, as a suspect in this case,” Syarief said during a press conference at the Jampidsus building in South Jakarta on Monday evening (25 May 2026). Prior to his designation as a suspect, investigators conducted searches and interviewed Yeka as a witness.
Syarief explained the case originated in February 2022 during the cooking oil shortage. As an Ombudsman member, Yeka initiated an investigation into alleged maladministration at the Ministry of Trade. However, the report’s contents were allegedly manipulated unlawfully. “Mr YHF altered the Ombudsman’s report from addressing the cooking oil shortage to recommending the revocation of the Domestic Market Obligation (DMO) to benefit exports,” Syarief stated.
The Ombudsman’s Investigation Report No. 418 dated 15 August 2022 was subsequently used by corporate lawyers. The report should have been provided only to the Ministry of Trade as the subject of the complaint, but Yeka is suspected of leaking it to private parties and corporate legal teams. “The report was handed to Mr MS and the AALF Legal team, which then formed the legal basis for suing the Ministry of Trade via the State Administrative Court (PTUN) and civil litigation,” he added.
This manipulated legal strategy proved successful. The PTUN and civil court rulings were used as defence arguments, leading judges to acquit three major corporations – Wilmar Group, Musim Mas Group, and Permata Hijau Group – on 19 March 2025. Investigators found evidence that Yeka received payments from PT Wilmar Group in exchange for manipulating the report, with funds routed through third-party accounts to conceal the trail. “Mr YHF received payments from PT Wilmar Group via third-party accounts and later received projects from companies within the Wilmar Group,” he said.
He faces charges under Article 21 of the Corruption Eradication Law (Tipikor) in conjunction with Article 20 of Law No. 1/2023 on the Criminal Code. The suspect has been detained for 20 days at Salemba Prison, a branch of the Attorney General’s Office.
Previously, on 9 March 2026, Kejagung searched Yeka’s office and residence while he was still an Ombudsman commissioner. Prosecutors suspect foul play in the Ombudsman’s recommendation, prompting the searches over alleged involvement in the manipulation. “Yes, one of the factors was the Ombudsman’s recommendation for the PTUN lawsuit,” said Kejagung’s Chief of Public Relations, Anang Supriatna, on 9 March when asked about the background of the searches related to the Ombudsman’s recommendation during the corporations’ PTUN cases. “The commissioner’s actions are suspected of obstructing prosecutors’ investigations, allowing the corporations to evade legal consequences. He faces charges under Article 21 of the Corruption Eradication Law for obstructing investigations and prosecution in the cooking oil case, which led to the acquittals,” Anang explained.