Two Defendants in Crude Oil Management Case Deny Fuel Blending Allegations
Former Pertamina Patra Niaga Marketing and Commerce Director Maya Kusmaya and former VP of Trading Operations Edward Corne have denied allegations of blending fuel. The two defendants in the crude oil management case made their denials whilst reading their defence pleas (pledoi).
The defence pleas were delivered during the trial of the crude oil management case, which allegedly caused Rp 285 trillion in state losses, at the Jakarta Central Anti-Corruption Court on Thursday (19 February 2026). Maya presented her plea first.
In her defence, Maya said she had not understood what wrongdoing she had committed since being named a suspect in February 2025. She said she only learnt of the allegations against her after reading news reports.
“I only found out from mass media and the Attorney General’s Office’s official channels afterwards — among the allegations was that I supposedly purchased Pertalite at Pertamax prices, making the Pertalite procurement allegedly overpriced, and then blended it at privately owned oil mixing terminals to produce Pertamax. As a result, the media labelled me a fuel blender,” Maya said.
“The state losses attributed to me reportedly reached one thousand trillion rupiah over five years. A figure I never could have imagined, and something I never did and could never have done,” she continued.
Maya denied the fuel blending accusations, stating that the fuel business is subject to strict oversight by the government and other institutions. She said the allegations had destroyed both her personal reputation and Pertamina’s reputation as a company.
“Public trust was shattered instantly, yet it turns out that in this trial there is not a single charge against me relating to fuel blending,” Maya said.
Edward Corne echoed similar sentiments. In his defence plea, Edward said he had received much information linking his case to fuel blending allegations.
Edward said he first learnt about the alleged fuel blending connection after receiving information that PT PPN President Director Riva Siahaan had been named a suspect. He said that throughout his examinations, he was never questioned about fuel blending.
“On 24 February 2025, PT PPN President Director Riva was summoned to the Attorney General’s Office at Gedung Bundar. Then in the middle of the night, an announcement emerged that they had been detained under the narrative of blended fuel. We were all shocked,” Edward explained.
“Throughout my several appearances as a witness, we were never asked about blending. The questions always revolved around business processes and corporate governance. Two days later, it was my turn and my superior’s turn to be declared suspects,” he added.
Furthermore, Edward said that during his examination as a suspect, he was asked about a wide range of topics. One question that came up repeatedly was whether he knew Mohamad Riza Chalid.
“I have never known or been aware of that individual. There has never been any meeting, communication, cooperation, or any interaction whatsoever involving me and MRC. I only heard his name through media reports,” he added.
Both defendants have already been subjected to prosecution demands by the public prosecutors. Maya faces a demand of 14 years’ imprisonment, a fine of Rp 1 billion with a subsidiary penalty of 190 days’ confinement, and restitution of Rp 5 billion with a subsidiary penalty of 7 years’ confinement.
Edward Corne faces a demand of 14 years’ imprisonment, a fine of Rp 5 billion with a subsidiary penalty of 190 days’ confinement, and restitution of Rp 5 billion with a subsidiary penalty of 7 years’ confinement. Meanwhile, Riva Siahaan, former President Director of PT Pertamina Patra Niaga, also faces a demand of 14 years’ imprisonment.
According to the indictment, the alleged corruption in crude oil management caused state losses totalling Rp 285 trillion. Two main issues are alleged to be at the heart of the case: irregular imports of refinery products or fuel, and the sale of non-subsidised diesel.
The breakdown of the alleged state losses is as follows:
Financial Losses to the State • USD 2,732,816,820.63 (approximately USD 2.7 billion), equivalent to Rp 45,091,477,539,395 or Rp 45.1 trillion (at an exchange rate of Rp 16,500) • Rp 25,439,881,674,368.30 or Rp 25.4 trillion Total: Rp 70,531,359,213,763.30 (Rp 70.5 trillion)
Losses to the National Economy • Overpayment on fuel procurement prices, resulting in an economic burden of Rp 171,997,835,294,293 or Rp 172 trillion • Illicit gains from the difference between import procurement prices for fuel exceeding quotas and the procurement prices for crude oil and fuel sourced domestically, amounting to USD 2,617,683,340.41 (approximately USD 2.6 billion), equivalent to Rp 43,191,775,117,765 or Rp 43.1 trillion (at an exchange rate of Rp 16,500) Total: Rp 215,189,610,412,058 (Rp 215.1 trillion)
Combining the financial losses and economic losses yields a total of Rp 285,969,625,213,821.30, or more than Rp 285 trillion. However, this calculation uses the current average exchange rate, and the figure would differ if the Attorney General’s Office were to apply a different rate.