Three Defendants in Crude Oil Governance Corruption Case Sentenced to Up to 10 Years in Prison

Thu, 26 Feb 2026, 19:51 WIB | By Gana Buana | Source: MEDIA_INDONESIA | Legal

The Central Jakarta District Court has sentenced Riva Siahaan, former Director of PT Pertamina Patra Niaga, to nine years in prison for corruption related to the management of crude oil and refinery products between 2018 and 2023. The verdict was delivered in a hearing held on Thursday (26/2).

In its ruling, the panel of judges stated that Riva Siahaan was proven guilty of committing corruption together.

Riva Siahaan was found guilty of violating Article 2 paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 18 of the Law on Criminal Acts of Corruption in conjunction with Article 55 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.

“The defendant, Riva Siahaan, has been proven guilty of committing corruption together, as stipulated in the primary indictment,” said the Chairman of the Panel of Judges, Fajar Kusuma Aji, while reading the verdict on Thursday (26/2).

In addition to the nine-year prison sentence, Riva was also ordered to pay a fine of IDR 1 billion. If the fine is not paid, it will be replaced with a prison sentence of 190 days. The fine must be paid within one month after the verdict becomes final, with a possible extension of up to one month.

If the fine is not paid, the defendant’s assets or income will be seized and auctioned to cover the fine. If the proceeds from the auction are insufficient, the remaining fine will be replaced with a prison sentence of 190 days.

In its consideration, the judge stated that the defendant’s actions worsened the government’s efforts to combat corruption. However, several mitigating factors were considered, such as the defendant’s polite demeanor during the trial, the fact that he had no prior criminal record, and the existence of a family to support.

In the same trial, the panel of judges also delivered verdicts to two other defendants:

Thus, the sentences for the three defendants range from nine to ten years in prison.

This case originated from allegations of corruption related to meeting domestic crude oil needs between 2018 and 2023, which allegedly involved manipulation of oil production and imports.

Initially, regulations prioritized domestic oil production to meet needs before imports. However, the defendants allegedly orchestrated a decline in refinery production, making imports appear as an urgent necessity.

Crude oil production by contractors of the work contract cooperation (KKKS) was also deliberately rejected.

As a result, PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional was forced to import crude oil, while PT Pertamina Patra Niaga imported refinery products at higher prices compared to domestic oil prices.

In addition, several defendants were also alleged to have favored brokers providing crude oil and refinery products that did not comply with legal provisions.

The prosecutor stated that the total state losses resulting from these actions reached IDR 285 trillion, with financial losses to the state amounting to US$2.73 billion (equivalent to IDR 45.3 trillion) and IDR 25 trillion. Meanwhile, economic losses to the state are estimated at IDR 171 trillion, due to high prices of fuel purchased and illegal profits of US$2.61 billion.

This verdict marks an important milestone in handling the case of corruption in the management of crude oil, which has involved several high-ranking officials at PT Pertamina Patra Niaga. (Z-10)

Riva Siahaan, former Director of PT Pertamina Patra Niaga (PPN), delivered a defense statement in the trial of alleged corruption in the management of crude oil at the Jakarta Corruption Court.

Kerry Adrianto Hamdan Zoelva, the defendant’s lawyer, said he felt sorry and worried that the panel of judges might not be able to think clearly if they had to lead the trial from 10:00 am to early morning.

The defendant in the alleged corruption case in the management of crude oil, who is also the former Director of PT PPN, Riva Siahaan, read out a defense statement or plea at the Jakarta Corruption Court.

Kerry Adrianto Riza read out a defense statement or plea in the trial of alleged corruption in the management of crude oil and refinery products of PT Pertamina at the Jakarta Corruption Court.

A survey by Indikator Politik Indonesia, released on Sunday (8/2), stated that 87.3% of the public believes that Riza Chalid was involved in the alleged corruption in the management of oil at Pertamina.

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