JAKARTA: Prosecutors with the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) have demanded an 18-year prison sentence for Muhammad Kerry Adrianto Riza , son of “gasoline godfather” Riza Chalid, for his alleged role in a corruption case pertaining to crude oil procurement at state energy company Pertamina.
Aside from the prison sentence, prosecutors also asked the panel of judges in a hearing at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Friday (Feb 13) to punish Kerry with a Rp 1 billion (US$59,442) fine, along with Rp 13.4 trillion in restitution, or a further 10 years in prison in default.
Prosecutors allege Kerry enriched himself and other parties through his involvement in several Pertamina procurement projects between 2018 and 2023 that violated laws and the state-owned firm’s operational standards.
Kerry was the beneficial owner of fuel terminal company PT Orbit Terminal Merak (OTM) based in Banten.
The company secured a terminal lease contract from Pertamina, allegedly by leveraging the influence of Kerry’s father. AGO prosecutors said the procurement was unnecessary and failed to meet standard requirements.
The businessman is also accused of colluding with executives of PT Jenggala Maritim Nusantara (JMN) and Pertamina subholdings to arrange the leasing of three vessels owned by JMN, despite the company lacking a business licence for oil and gas transportation.
“There was coordinated cooperation and a meeting of minds initiated by Kerry, who acted together with [other defendants] in roles that resulted in corruption that caused state losses,” a prosecutor stated during the sentence demand in a livestream broadcast of Friday’s hearing.
Also on Friday, prosecutors read out sentence demands for eight other defendants in the case, including JMN and OTM executives, as well as high-ranking officials at PT Pertamina International Shipping and PT Pertamina Niaga.
They face prison terms ranging from 14 to 16 years, along with fines and varying amounts of restitution.
According to the AGO, the alleged corruption incurred Rp 25.4 trillion in state losses, in addition to Rp 171.9 trillion in economic losses stemming from inflated fuel prices at the time, which imposed an economic burden on the state.
The defendants have been charged with violating Article 603 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) for enriching themselves or other parties, including corporations.
After Friday’s hearing, Kerry told reporters that he hoped President Prabowo Subianto would view his case objectively, as he claimed that he was not involved in the alleged corruption.
“I seek justice for myself. Prabowo is a great and wise statesman, and I believe he does not want to see criminalisation in this country,” he said on Friday, as quoted by Antara.
Kerry’s father, 66-year-old Riza, has also been named a suspect by the AGO in the case.
The oil tycoon, who was known as the “gasoline godfather” for his domination of the oil import business in the country, has been at large since he was named a suspect. The AGO had placed him on its wanted list in August last year, followed by the issuance of a red notice by Interpol on Jan 23 at the AGO’s request.
Earlier this month, Interpol’s Indonesia National Central Bureau (NCB) said law enforcement agencies were aware of Riza’s whereabouts, but this could not be disclosed to the public.
Riza’s last known location was in Malaysia, after he left Indonesia when the AGO made its arrest of several suspects, including Kerry, for the Pertamina case in February 2025. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
