Indonesia Recovers Record $750 Million in Palm Oil Corruption
In a historic move, Indonesian authorities have seized a staggering $750 million related to a crude palm oil (CPO) export corruption case. The recovery from the Wilmar Group marks the largest confiscation in the nation’s history, underscoring a renewed focus on combating financial crimes.
The Investigation’s Scope
The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) has confirmed that the recovered funds originated from a corruption case involving CPO export permits during 2021-2022. The investigation targeted five corporations associated with the Wilmar Group, which were found to have illegally obtained export approvals.
According to the Director of Prosecution of the Youth Attorney General for Special Crimes of the AGO, Sutikno, the seized funds were the result of corruption related to CPO export approvals for the Wilmar Group. The amount of money seized reached Rp 11,880,351,802,619.
“The confiscation is carried out at the level of prosecution based on the provisions of Article 39 paragraph 1 letter a Juncto Article 38 paragraph 1 of the Criminal Procedure Code for the sake of inspection at the cassation level,”
—Sutikno, Director of Prosecution of the Youth Attorney General for Special Crimes
Sutikno stated that the recovered funds came from several Wilmar Group corporations. These include PT Multimas Nabati Asahan, PT Multinabati Sulawesi, PT Sinar Alam Permai, PT Wilmar Bioenergy Indonesia, and PT Wilmar Nabati Indonesia. The combined total of losses from these five companies reached approximately Rp 11.8 trillion.
Breakdown of the Seized Assets
The money has been stored in Bank Mandiri under the supervision of the AGO investigators. The Central Jakarta District Court authorized the confiscation.
The recovered funds from PT Multimas Nabati Asahan amounted to Rp 3,997,042,917,832.42. PT Multi Nabati Sulawesi contributed Rp 39,756,429,964.94, while PT Sinar Alam Permai returned Rp 483,961,045,417.33, and Wilmar Nabati Indonesia’s contribution was Rp 7,302,288,371,326.78.
Additional Corporations Involved
Three companies were implicated in the corruption case: Wilmar Group, PT Permata Hijau Group, and PT Season Mas Group. While the Wilmar Group has fully returned the misappropriated funds, authorities are still pursuing recoveries from the other two companies.
The Permata Hijau Group is expected to return Rp 937.6 billion, and the Mas Group season is expected to return Rp 4.89 trillion. The AGO hopes that these two groups will also make full restitution, echoing the actions of the Wilmar Group.
Historic Significance
The scale of this confiscation is unprecedented. Harli Siregar, Kapuspenkum AGO, noted that the Rp 11.8 trillion seizure is the largest in the AGO’s history.
The seized money was prominently displayed during a press conference. The piles of money, all in Rp 100,000 notes, filled the room.
The case originated from a broader investigation into cooking oil corruption, with a panel of judges determining that the actions caused Rp 6 trillion in state losses and a further Rp 12.3 trillion in damage to the national economy. Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) reported a 23% increase in corruption cases in 2024 (KPK Report).
Next Steps
The AGO is now focused on securing restitution from the remaining companies involved in the corruption case. The government’s actions demonstrate a firm resolve to combat corruption and recover lost state funds.
