Son of Indonesia 'gasoline godfather' jailed in $17-billion corruption case

Jakarta: An Indonesian judge sentenced the son of an Interpol-wanted oil tycoon to 15 years in prison on Friday in connection with a corruption scheme estimated to have cost the government $17 billion.

Muhammad Kerry Adrianto Riza is the highest-profile defendant to be convicted in the sprawling scandal involving state-owned energy firm Pertamina.

Kerry was found guilty of manipulating a lease and colluding with several Pertamina executives, according to a statement from the Attorney General's Office. 

"Muhammad Kerry Adrianto Riza has been proven in a legally and convincingly valid manner to have jointly committed corruption," Judge Fajar Kusuma Aji told the court on Friday.

After a nearly 12-hour sentencing, the court handed Kerry 15 years in prison and ordered him to pay a fine of approximately $59,500 as well as restitution worth about $173 million.

Kerry's father, "gasoline godfather" Mohammad Riza Chalid, is wanted for his alleged involvement in the same corruption probe, but has fled Indonesia. Interpol issued a red notice for him in January.

Pertamina scandal

The Pertamina scandal involved procuring low-quality imported fuel at higher prices, among various other corrupt practices, according to the Attorney General's Office.

At the same sentencing on Friday, Riva Siahaan, a former chief executive of a Pertamina subsidiary, was given a nine-year prison term.

Indonesia has long struggled with graft and has arrested scores of public officials in recent years.

In 2023, a former communications minister was jailed for 15 years after being found guilty of corruption in a case that investigators said cost the country more than $530 million.