# Indonesia arrests three Pertamina executives in widening oil-import corruption probe
*Event date: 2025-02-25*
Indonesia's Attorney-General's Office arrested three executives tied to state energy company Pertamina on 2025-02-25, saying the case involves alleged corruption linked to oil imports and losses that prosecutors put at 193.7 trillion rupiah. The arrests pulled one of the country's biggest state companies into a criminal probe that now reaches across refining, shipping and fuel sales.
According to the supplied evidence, prosecutors detained Riva Siahaan, the chief executive of Pertamina Patra Niaga, Yoki Firnandi, the chief executive of Pertamina International Shipping, and Sani Dinar Saifuddin, a director at Kilang Pertamina Internasional. The Attorney-General's Office said the arrests happened late on February 24 and were announced publicly the following day. That detail matters because it shows the case was already active before the public statement was released.
Prosecutors allege that between 2018 and 2023 the executives violated a regulation requiring Pertamina to source crude oil from domestic suppliers. They are said to have justified imports by arguing that local crude failed to meet standards, but prosecutors said that claim did not hold up. The office said the contractors' oil matched the required specifications and that crude produced in Indonesia was instead exported while Pertamina entities imported oil and fuel at significantly higher prices.
The evidence also says the shipping unit marked up freight costs, extending the case beyond import pricing and into logistics. That broadens the possible impact of the investigation because it suggests prosecutors are looking at a wider pattern of cost inflation, not just a single procurement decision. The state loss figure gives the case national scale, even if the legal process is still at an early stage.
Pertamina responded by saying it respected the ongoing legal process and would cooperate with the authorities. The company also said it hoped the process would prioritize the presumption of innocence. That response is important because it shows the company is trying to contain reputational damage while avoiding any public admission of wrongdoing.
The arrests also carry political weight. Pertamina is one of Indonesia's most visible state-owned firms, and cases involving fuel imports and domestic supply policy tend to attract public attention quickly because they connect to prices, energy security and trust in government oversight. The allegation that local crude was exported while more expensive imports were brought in will likely intensify that scrutiny.
Three other people from private companies were also arrested, according to the AGO. The presence of private-sector suspects suggests prosecutors believe the alleged scheme extended beyond a single corporate chain. For now, however, the evidence supports only the fact of the arrests, the broad corruption allegations and the state loss estimate announced by the Attorney-General's Office.
The case is significant not just for the executives named, but for what it says about the pressure on Indonesia's energy sector. A probe of this size puts procurement, regulation and public accountability under the same spotlight, and it will likely remain a sensitive story as the legal process moves forward.
