Interpol has issued a red notice for Indonesian oil tycoon Mohammad Riza Chalid, nicknamed the “gasoline godfather,” over a multi-billion-dollar corruption scandal.
The notice, released on January 23, calls on law enforcement in Interpol’s 196 member countries to locate and provisionally arrest the 66-year-old. Riza is wanted in Indonesia for alleged corruption at state-owned oil company Pertamina between 2018 and 2023, including 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.
Indonesian authorities estimate the scandal cost the state 285 trillion rupiah (approximately USD 17 billion). Riza, his son Muhammad Kerry Adrianto Riza, and several Pertamina officials were named in the case in July, accused of conspiring to import crude oil at inflated prices rather than sourcing it domestically as required by law.
So far, 18 people have been named as suspects. Riza’s Indonesian passport was revoked in October, and authorities continue to pursue him.
Indonesia has a long history of corruption prosecutions; in 2023, a former communications minister was jailed for 15 years for a separate case costing the state over USD 530 million.
