Indonesia’s Law Enforcers Turn on One Another

Indonesia’s Law Enforcers Turn on One Another

A three-way battle emerges between the police, military and Attorney General’s Office

By: Ainur Rohmah

What began as an investigation into a series of nationwide power outages has rapidly evolved into a rare confrontation between Indonesia’s two most powerful law enforcement institutions. Indonesia’s National Police, through its Anti-Corruption Task Force (Kortastipidkor), is investigating alleged corruption and money laundering in coal procurement for state-owned power plants between 2018 and 2026. Investigators suspect manipulated contracts, falsified coal quality and supply records, and illicit financial flows that may have caused state losses of roughly US$300 million.

As the investigation has expanded, police have searched more than a dozen locations in Jakarta and nearby cities last week. Several of the properties were linked to Febrie Adriansyah, the former head of the Special Crimes Unit (Jampidsus) of the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), transforming what appeared to be a procurement case into a much broader inquiry into the relationships among Indonesia’s law enforcement elite.

A Prosecutor under Investigation

Police have named Febrie a suspect in corruption and money laundering investigations tied to three separate cases: a scandal involving state-owned insurance company PT Asabri, alleged corruption involving state-owned PT Krakatau Steel, and the coal procurement case. Don Ritto, a lawyer described by investigators as one of Febrie’s close associates, was also named as a suspect. Investigators allege that Febrie accepted illicit payments through the extortion of suspects in those major corruption cases. He has since resigned from the Attorney General’s Office.

The allegations mark a dramatic fall for one of Indonesia’s best-known anti-corruption prosecutors. Since taking charge of the Special Crimes Unit in January 2022, Febrie led investigations into some of the country’s largest corruption scandals, including the tin trading case, the crude oil governance scandal, and the controversial and politically charged Chromebook procurement case involving former Education Minister Nadiem Makarim. Most recently, his office was handling corruption cases involving the government’s massive Free Nutritious Meals program.

Police searched 13 locations linked to Febrie, including his residence in suburban Jakarta, and several businesses in Jakarta. Officers seized 74 kilograms of gold, hundreds of billions of rupiah in cash, and other evidence. They also searched Koin Money Changer, where they confiscated cash in 16 foreign currencies worth about 7.2 billion rupiah. “There are strong indications the location was used for money laundering,” said Senior Commissioner Budi Hermanto, the Jakarta Metropolitan Police spokesman.

Soon after videos of the raids circulated online, prosecutors – accompanied by dozens of armed military soldiers – arrived at the Jakarta Metropolitan Police headquarters demanding the return of the seized evidence. At the same time, Indonesian military personnel guarded Febrie’s residence in South Jakarta. Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Muhammad Nas said the deployment was carried out at the request of the Attorney General’s Office. What appeared to be a stand-off between the police and military was alarming – and huge news nationwide.

According to Inspector General Totok Suharyanto, head of the National Police’s Anti-Corruption Task Force, investigators are focusing on three cases. The first concerns alleged corruption in coal procurement that investigators believe contributed to electricity shortages and widespread blackouts. The second revisits alleged corruption and money laundering connected to PT Asabri and another state-owned insurer, Jiwasraya. The third involves the settlement of debts between two subsidiaries of Krakatau Steel.

Although the investigations concern separate legal matters, police have linked them in pursuing Febrie, leaving unresolved questions about the precise role prosecutors believe he played in each case, which has since been handed over to the attorney general’s office, prompting concerns that the institution is being asked to investigate one of its own and will potentially shield senior officials from independent scrutiny.

The Curse of the Free Meals Program

The bitter feud between Indonesia’s police and prosecutors didn’t begin with the coal investigation. Its roots lie in a far more politically sensitive case: alleged corruption in President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program.

Far from becoming the signature social program Prabowo envisioned, the free lunch initiative has increasingly become synonymous with allegations of corruption. What was designed as a nationwide effort to improve child nutrition and ease widespread stunting has instead exposed weaknesses in governance as the program expanded at remarkable speed.

Since mid-June 2026, the attorney general’s office has instructed prosecutors nationwide to investigate suspected corruption in the program’s rapidly expanding network of community kitchens. Prosecutors have examined allegations ranging from the sale of operating permits and kitchen locations to inflated procurement costs, illegal commissions and the misuse of government incentives.

The investigation soon reached senior officials with close ties to the police. Among those arrested was Sony Sonjaya, the deputy head of the National Nutrition Agency and a retired police inspector general. Investigators allege that Sony implicated other police officers involved in the program, including Brig. Gen. Lalu Muhammad Iwan Mahardan, an active-duty officer who was later named as a suspect.

Police officials were outraged, arguing that prosecutors had designated Lalu a suspect without coordinating with the force. They also accused the attorney general’s office of selective prosecution, saying it targeted kitchens operated by the police while leaving untouched hundreds