Private Sector Defendant Facing 13-Year Sentence Breaks Down in Tears at Oil Corruption Trial

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - The defendant in the alleged corruption case concerning the management of crude oil at PT Pertamina, Martin Haendra, delivered his defence plea with an emotional tone, breaking down in tears during the hearing at the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday (27/4/2026).

Before the panel of judges, Martin, who served as Business Development Manager at PT Trafigura from 2019 to 2021, revealed that he has been in detention for nearly 10 months, specifically since 10 July 2025. He stated that the trial day marked the 292nd day since his arrest.

He emphasised that throughout his career, he has always worked with principles of honesty, discipline, and compliance with the law, while avoiding corrupt practices, bribery, and conflicts of interest.

In his plea, Martin firmly stated that he has never committed any unlawful acts as alleged by the public prosecutor (JPU).

He also mentioned that those closest to him still believe he is not involved in corrupt practices.

According to him, during the trial, there has been no valid evidence to prove the charges against him.

“I am convinced that there is not a single piece of valid and convincing evidence that can prove the charges against me,” he asserted during the hearing.

“At that time, I felt a very deep wound. It was as if all the facts revealed in this trial no longer held any meaning,” he said.

According to the prosecutor, the defendant’s actions, including those of Martin Haendra, fulfil the criminal elements as stipulated in Article 603 in conjunction with Article 20 letter c of Law No. 1 of 2023 on the Criminal Code in conjunction with Article 18 of Law No. 31 of 1999 on the Eradication of Criminal Acts of Corruption, as amended by Law No. 20 of 2001.

Martin reaffirmed his position as a private sector party, namely Business Development Manager at PT Trafigura Pte Ltd, stating that he has no authority in decision-making regarding the management of crude oil at PT Pertamina.

Martin described himself as merely carrying out duties as an employee, not as a policymaker.

Furthermore, he denied the allegations related to violations of Pertamina’s internal rules.

According to him, those rules are confidential and only apply internally to the company, so it is impossible for external parties like him to know about them.