Riza Chalid Corruption Case: Three Senior Pertamina Executives Sentenced to 9-10 Years in Prison

Three defendants in the corruption case involving the management of crude oil and refinery products at PT Pertamina (Persero) have been sentenced to ten years in prison. This case also implicates Riza Chalid, who remains at large.

The three defendants include Agus Purwono, VP of Feedstock Management at PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional, who was sentenced to ten years in prison and a fine of IDR 1 billion, or 190 days imprisonment if the fine is not paid.

“The defendant, Agus Purwono, has been proven guilty of committing corruption together, as stated in the primary indictment,” said the head of the panel of judges, Fajar Kusuma Aji, at the Central Jakarta Corruption Court, Friday (February 26) early morning.

Meanwhile, the other two defendants, Sani Dinar Saifudin, Director of Feedstock and Product Optimization at PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional, and Yoki Firnandi, Director of PT Pertamina International Shipping, were each sentenced to nine years in prison and a fine of IDR 1 billion, or 190 days imprisonment if the fine is not paid.

The panel of judges acquitted all three of paying restitution.

In determining the criminal sentences, the prosecutor considered several aggravating and mitigating factors.

The aggravating factors were that the defendants’ actions did not support the government’s program to eradicate corruption.

The mitigating factors were that the defendants were cooperative during the trial, had no prior convictions, and had family responsibilities.

This sentence is lighter than the prosecution’s request of 14 years in prison, a fine of IDR 1 billion, and restitution of IDR 5 billion, or 7 years imprisonment if the restitution is not paid, which was read by the Public Prosecutor (JPU) to each defendant.

Dissenting Opinion

Judge Mulyono, a member of the panel, had a dissenting opinion in this verdict.

Mulyono doubted the validity and amount of the calculation of state losses resulting from the financial losses in the current oil management case in Indonesia, which is complex and related to international oil trading as a result of the illegal acts committed by the defendants.

Previously, in this case, a total of 18 people were named as suspects by the Attorney General’s Office.

They were charged with enriching themselves, others, or a corporation, which harmed the state by IDR 285.18 trillion.

One of the suspects is the son of Riza Chalid, Muhammad Kerry Adrianto Riza.

Meanwhile, Riza Chalid himself remains a fugitive and is on the wanted list.