Interpol has issued a red notice for the arrest of Indonesian oil magnate Mohammad Riza Chalid over his alleged involvement in a $17 billion corruption scandal linked to state-owned energy company Pertamina.
The notice, circulated on January 23, calls on law enforcement agencies across Interpol’s 196 member countries to help locate and provisionally arrest the 66-year-old businessman.
Riza Chalid, popularly known as the “gasoline godfather,” is wanted in Indonesia for alleged corruption, including money laundering and manipulation of lease agreements with Pertamina, spanning 2018 to 2023.
Untung Widyatmoko, Secretary of Interpol’s Indonesia National Central Bureau, said on Sunday that authorities are tracking Riza but declined to reveal his exact location.
“We can’t specify exactly where he is, but we already know,” Widyatmoko stated.
The case involves a network of suspects, including Riza’s son, Muhammad Kerry Adrianto Riza, and several senior Pertamina officials, who were formally named in July by Indonesian prosecutors.
According to the Attorney General’s Office (AGO), the suspects allegedly colluded to import crude oil at inflated prices from foreign suppliers, bypassing legal obligations to source domestically. The scheme is estimated to have cost the Indonesian state 285 trillion rupiah ($17 billion).
So far, 18 individuals have been identified as suspects in the sprawling investigation. Authorities also confirmed that Riza’s Indonesian passport was revoked in October, restricting his legal travel.
