Son of Indonesia’s ‘gasoline godfather’ jailed in US$17bil corruption case

Son of Indonesia’s ‘gasoline godfather’ jailed in US$17bil corruption case

Muhammad Kerry Adrianto Riza was found guilty of manipulating a lease and colluding with several Pertamina executives, the Attorney General’s Office said.

Muhammad Kerry Adrianto Riza (right), son of the “gasoline godfather,” is pictured with his wife Atya Sardadi (left) awaiting sentencing at a Jakarta courthouse on  Feb 26, 2026. (EPA Images pic)
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 US$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 US$59,500 as well as restitution worth about US$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.

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 US$530 million.

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