Palace Responds to Hotman Paris on Febrie's Criminal Designation

Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi has dismissed information suggesting that the investigation of former Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) Febrie Adriansyah required approval from President Prabowo Subianto. A spokesperson for the Presidential Palace stressed that the legal process for Febrie or other high-ranking officials must follow legal mechanisms. “I think it goes back to the mechanism. I don’t think there is any requirement that during the investigation process, it must have the president’s permission,” Prasetyo said when met at the DPR RI Complex, Jakarta, Monday, 20 July 2026. The Palace requested that all parties refrain from linking Febrie’s case to President Prabowo Subianto. Prasetyo deferred the matter entirely to the applicable legal process. “Don’t link it to the President. We fully return it to the legal mechanism in force,” he said. Febrie’s lawyer, Hotman Paris Hutapea, stated that the designation of his client as a suspect was carried out without first seeking permission or informing President Prabowo. Hotman claimed Febrie is a source of pride for Prabowo. As the Executive Chairman of the Forest Area Control Task Force (Satgas PKH), Hotman said Febrie had returned losses amounting to Rp 430 trillion to the state. Hotman questioned why the suspect designation was made without Prabowo’s knowledge. He asked the public to question the National Police Chief on the matter. Former Jampidsus Febrie Adriansyah is suspected of being involved in three cases investigated by the police, namely corruption and money laundering (TPPU) in the handling of the PT Asabri case for the 2020-2024 period, the PT Krakatau Steel case for the 2023-2025 period, and the procurement of coal supply for a number of steam power plants (PLTU) by several companies. Investigators from the Police Anti-Corruption Corps and the Special Criminal Investigation Directorate of the Metro Jaya Regional Police searched 13 locations on 8-9 July 2026. On the day of the searches, Febrie’s residence on Jalan Radio I, Kramat Pela, South Jakarta, was guarded by more than one squad of Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) personnel on Wednesday night, 8 July 2026. The soldiers, carrying long-barrelled weapons, stood guard at the main gate of the house. Some were also seen walking in the front garden of Febrie’s house. A few hours later, dozens of TNI members arrived at the Metro Jaya Regional Police complex around 3:40 a.m. WIB on Thursday, 9 July 2026.