Kortas Tipikor Polri's Swift Action in Investigating Coal Corruption Praised by Former KPK Leader
The swift action by the Corruption Eradication Corps (Kortas Tipikor) of the Indonesian National Police in investigating an alleged corruption case related to coal supply, which led to blackouts in Sumatra and other parts of Indonesia, has drawn praise from former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chairman Saut Situmorang. Saut stated that the impact of the blackouts has caused a decline in Indonesia’s competitiveness.
“Kortas Tipikor Polri must follow up on this quickly, because amidst this uncertainty and economic turmoil, our competitiveness drops, and investors become hesitant due to the vulnerability,” Saut told reporters, as quoted on Thursday (9/7/2026).
According to Saut, unstable electricity not only disrupts the economy but also has social consequences. This is especially concerning given the current economic uncertainty.
“Therefore, the perpetrators must be severely punished. The impact of this electricity issue is not just economic, but also social. It’s a matter of energy governance,” he said.
Saut explained that Indonesia’s competitiveness ranking fell to 48th out of 70 countries, according to the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking (WCR) 2026, partly due to the unstable electricity supply. He stressed that the perpetrators must face heavy penalties.
“The perpetrators must be severely punished. As we know, the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking dropped us to 48 out of 70, indicating a country with low competitiveness. Unstable electricity further reduces our competitiveness and raises doubts among investors,” Saut said.
The alleged corruption case concerning the fulfilment of coal supply needs, which triggered blackouts in Sumatra and several other Indonesian regions, is being investigated by Kortas Tipikor Polri. The case has now advanced to the investigation stage.
“We, the investigators, are providing an update on the handling of the criminal case of corruption and money laundering related to the procurement of coal supply for several coal-fired power plants (PLTU) during the period of 2018 to 2026,” said Head of Kortas Tipikor Polri, Inspector General Totok Suharyanto, during a press conference at the Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) Polri on Monday (6/7).
The status upgrade to investigation was determined on 4 July 2026. Totok stated that investigators had found two companies suspected of committing legal violations in the coal supply fulfilment.
“At the very least, investigators have found alleged irregularities in the procurement and fulfilment of coal supply at the PLTU by several involved companies: PT OBP and PT BRA,” Totok said.
Director of Enforcement at Kortas Tipikor Polri, Brigadier General Robertus Yohanes De Deo, added that several modus operandi were used by the suspected parties in this case. One of them was document manipulation.
Investigators also discovered manipulation related to the quantity of coal supplied to the power plants, as well as alleged irregularities that resulted in payments or contract prices not matching the actual or real supply conditions.
No suspects have been named yet in this alleged corruption case. Investigators have examined 16 witnesses and analysed a number of documents. The state loss is estimated to reach Rp 5 trillion.