Interpol Issues Red Notice, Attorney General's Office Still Prioritises Pursuing Riza Chalid Over In Absentia Trial
The Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) has not yet considered the option of trying businessman Mohammad Riza Chalid in absentia, even though Interpol has issued a red notice against the fugitive in the corruption case.
The Prosecutor’s Corps stated that it is still working to hunt down and repatriate Riza Chalid to undergo legal proceedings in Indonesia. This was revealed by the Director of Prosecution at the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) of the Attorney General’s Office, Ardito Muwardi.
It is known that Riza Chalid has been named a suspect in two major corruption cases, namely the alleged corruption case in the procurement of crude oil at Pertamina Energy Trading Limited (Petral) for the period 2008-2015 and the corruption case in the management of crude oil and refinery products at Pertamina-KKKS.
“Still, this is still ongoing, we are still trying (to repatriate Riza Chalid),” he said, quoted on Sunday, May 17, 2026.
Ardito explained that the opportunity to capture Riza Chalid is now even wider after the red notice was officially issued by Interpol, which is based in Lyon, France.
“The Red Notice has been issued,” he said.
However, the Attorney General’s Office does not want to rush into taking steps for a trial without the defendant present or in absentia against Riza Chalid. According to Ardito, investigators are still focused on pursuing the suspect who is now an international fugitive.
“Not yet, we are still studying (the case). We are still trying to bring him in,” he said.
For information, an in absentia trial is a trial that continues without the defendant being present in the courtroom.
Previously reported, the Attorney General’s Office (Kejagung) uncovered the role of oil businessman Riza Chalid who has now been re-established as a suspect in the alleged corruption case in the procurement of crude oil at Pertamina Energy Trading Limited (Petral) for the period 2008-2015.
This is the second time Riza has been involved in a corruption case in the energy sector. Previously, he was also charged in the case of managing crude oil and refinery products for the period 2018-2023. In this Petral case for the period 2008-2015, investigators found evidence of Riza’s active involvement in regulating the procurement process.
“One of the other suspects is Mr. MRC as the Beneficial Owner (BO) of several companies,” said Director of Investigation of the Deputy Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) of the Attorney General’s Office, Syarief Sulaeman Nahdi, quoted on Friday, April 10, 2026.