74 kg of gold in the house of an Indonesian anti-corruption official

The Indonesian Attorney General’s Office said on July 11 that Febrie Adriansyah, assistant attorney general in charge of special crimes, submitted his resignation and this decision was accepted.

Anang Supriatna, spokesman for the Indonesian Attorney General’s Office, said Mr. Febrie’s resignation was to “maintain integrity, objectivity and neutrality in law enforcement activities.”

This senior anti-corruption official resigned after Indonesian police launched a large-scale operation, searching at least 12 locations in Jakarta, South Tangerang and Bogor, including properties related to Mr. Febrie such as a private house in Bogor, a cafe and another house in South Jakarta.

Police spokesman Budi Hermanto said investigators seized 74 kilograms of gold bars and about $20 million worth of cash in Febrie’s home.

Police have taken statements from 15 witnesses and will soon announce the identities of the suspects, but have not yet brought charges against Mr. Febrie.

Responding to the press before resigning, Mr. Febrie confirmed that the house in Bogor was his residence but denied that the seized assets were related to corruption, and affirmed that all of this money and gold had a clear origin.

Indonesian police are simultaneously investigating three cases, including suspicions of corruption and money laundering related to coal purchases for State Electricity Corporation PLN, as well as scandals at state insurance companies Asabri and Jiwasraya.

Officials also suspect that some state officials colluded with mining companies to supply poor quality coal to some power plants, leading to power outages in many areas.

Mr. Febrie previously said that the Attorney General’s Office was investigating many major corruption cases, claiming that he “did not understand why” he was suspected of being involved in the power outages.

Febrie, 58, was appointed Assistant Attorney General for Special Crimes in 2022 after many years of work in the judiciary. During his time as a prosecutor, he directed the corruption case against Nadiem Makarim, founder of the Gojek payment platform, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in June.

He also investigated corruption allegations against former trade minister Thomas Lembong and illegal fuel imports at state energy corporation Pertamina.