Indonesian oil tycoon Mohammad Riza Chalid is wanted globally on a red notice for alleged corruption and money laundering at state energy firm Pertamina.
JAKARTA: Interpol has issued a red notice for the arrest of Indonesian oil tycoon Mohammad Riza Chalid, nicknamed the “gasoline godfather”, over a multi-billion dollar corruption scandal.
The notice, issued on January 23, requests law enforcement in Interpol’s 196 member countries to locate and provisionally arrest the 66-year-old.
Riza is wanted in Indonesia for his alleged involvement in corruption at state-owned oil company Pertamina between 2018 and 2023.
The allegations include money laundering and manipulating a lease agreement.
“We can’t specify exactly where he is, but we already know,” said Untung Widyatmoko, secretary of Interpol’s Indonesia National Central Bureau.
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) estimates the corruption cost the state 285 trillion rupiah (around USD 17 billion).
Riza, his son Muhammad Kerry Adrianto Riza, and several Pertamina officials were named in the case in July.
They are accused of conspiring to import crude oil from overseas suppliers at inflated prices instead of sourcing it domestically as required by law.
The AGO said 18 people have so far been named suspects.
Riza’s Indonesian passport was revoked by the country’s immigration office in October.
Indonesia has a long history of graft and has arrested numerous public officials in recent years.
In 2023, a former communications minister was jailed for 15 years in a separate corruption case that cost the state more than USD 530 million.
