Jakarta. Investigators from the Attorney General’s Office have confiscated Rp 833 million ($50,876) and $1,500 in cash during a search of oil tycoon Muhammad Riza Chalid’s private residence and an office in Jakarta, a spokesman said on Wednesday. 

The search was part of an ongoing investigation into alleged fraudulent crude oil imports and illegal blending of gasoline products by subsidiaries of state-run oil giant Pertamina, which prosecutors estimate caused $11.9 billion in state losses.

Riza is a well-known figure in Indonesia’s oil industry, with past ties to prominent politicians. His son, Muhammad Kerry Andrianto Riza, the beneficial owner of oil shipping company Navigator Khatulistiwa, has been named a suspect in this case along with six other individuals, including two CEOs of Pertamina’s subsidiaries.

Prosecutors believe Riza’s private residence on Jenggala Street in South Jakarta served as an office where critical crude oil import documents were kept. 

“Investigators found 34 ring binders containing corporate documents on crude oil imports and shipping,” Attorney General’s Office spokesman Harli Siregar told a news conference in Jakarta. Officials also seized additional documents from an office on the 20th floor of the Plaza Asia building in Central Jakarta, which are now under analysis.

“Investigators strongly suspect those documents are linked to the alleged corruption. We are examining Riza Chalid’s role in this case,” Harli added.

Seven suspects have been named in the high-profile graft scandal, including four executives of Pertamina subsidiaries: Riva Siahaan (CEO of Pertamina Patra Niaga), Yoki Firnandi (CEO of Pertamina International Shipping), Sani Dinar Saifuddin (feedstock and product optimization director of Kilang Pertamina Internasional), and Agus Purwono (vice president for feedstock management at Kilang Pertamina Internasional).

The other three suspects are Muhammad Kerry Andrianto Riza; Dimas Werhaspati, commissioner of Navigator Khatulistiwa and Jenggala Maritim; and Gading Ramadhan Joedo, commissioner of Jenggala Maritim and CEO of Orbit Terminal Merak. 

Prosecutors allege Kerry received unjust benefits by securing crude oil supply contracts for Pertamina subsidiaries without a proper bidding process. They also claim the shipping fares were inflated, forcing the government to pay between 13 and 15 percent more than standard rates to Pertamina International Shipping.

Another angle of the probe involves the accusation that Pertamina Patra Niaga illegally blended subsidized gasoline product Pertalite and sold it as Pertamax, which has a higher octane number and is priced without subsidies.

Riza Chalid was previously investigated in two other corruption cases, including allegedly fraudulent crude oil imports in 2008 and interfering with the government’s efforts to acquire a majority stake in copper and gold miner Freeport in 2015. Both inquiries were eventually dropped.

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