Indonesian prosecutor resigns after police seize gold and cash | Corruption Issues

Police seized 74kg of gold and $20m in various currencies.

Indonesia’s anti-corruption prosecutor has resigned after police raids at his home and other locations led to the seizure of $20m worth of gold and cash.

In a statement on Saturday, the Attorney General’s Office said Febrie Adriansyah is resigning as chief special prosecutor “to maintain integrity, rule of law, and neutrality”.

Authorities have not charged Febrie with any crimes.

Jakarta and national police raided at least 12 locations and interviewed 15 witnesses in Jakarta, South Tangerang and Bogor on July 8 and 9 regarding corruption and bribery that authorities believe caused the recent power outages in several parts of the country.

The investigation is linked to a major fraud scandal at the state-owned insurance company Asabri and the now-defunct Jiwasraya life insurance company, as well as concerns that government officials were cooperating with mining companies that obtained substandard coal for state-owned industries.

Police seized 74kg of gold and Indonesian rupiah, US dollars, Singapore dollars and Saudi riyals worth $20m, spokesman Budi Hermanto said at a press conference late Friday. According to local media, most of the items were found in a house in Bogor belonging to Febrie.

Speaking to reporters on Friday morning, before his resignation, Febrie denied wrongdoing and said he did not understand why he was being investigated for the power outage.

Febrie, 58, was appointed as a special prosecutor in 2022 after a long career in Indonesia. He handled high-profile cases and, until he resigned, was overseeing a fraud investigation at the National Nutrition Agency. The agency runs President Prabowo Subianto’s controversial free school meals program, which many Indonesians deride as corrupt.

As a prosecutor, Febrie also oversaw the corruption case against Nadiem Makarim, the founder of the Gojek investment fund, who was sentenced to 10 years in June. That case has been widely criticized by international observers and human rights organizations as a violation of justice.

He also investigated corruption involving the trade minister who was replaced by opposition leader Thomas Lembong and the case of offshore oil sales to the Pertamina power company.