Must Meet Dual Criminality, the Reason for the Long-Term Riza Chalid Red Notice

JAKARTA - Head of the International Transnational Crime Section (Kabag Jatranin) of the International Relations Division (Divhubinter) of the National Police, Kombes Pol Ricky Purnama, explained that the issuance of a red notice against an international fugitive takes quite a long time because it must go through a strict assessment process by Interpol.

This was conveyed regarding the issuance of a red notice for Muhammad Riza Chalid, a suspect in the alleged corruption case of crude oil and refinery products at PT Pertamina.

"Every red notice application must go through an assessment at the Interpol Headquarters. In corruption cases, there are often differences in legal perspectives in a number of countries so that Interpol must ensure that this case is purely criminal and not politically charged," said Ricky, Sunday, February 1.

He added that the National Police must also convince Interpol that the acts suspected of Riza Chalid meet the principle of dual criminality, namely that the crime is recognized as a crime in more than one country.

According to Ricky, the process of repatriating international fugitives cannot be done instantly because it must be adjusted to the legal system of the country where the suspect is located. However, cross-border coordination continues to be intensified.

"We ensure that the NCB Set of the Indonesian Interpol continues to work optimally, complies with the provisions of local laws, and conducts intensive coordination so that the target of law enforcement can be achieved," he said.

Riza Chalid is known to be a suspect in the case of alleged corruption in the management of crude oil and refinery products in the environment of PT Pertamina (Persero), subholding, and Contractor of Cooperative Work Contracts (KKKS) for the period 2018-2023. He was named a suspect by the Attorney General's Office as the beneficial owner of PT Navigator Khatulistiwa and PT Orbit Terminal.

In this case, Riza is suspected of being responsible for the cooperation agreement to lease the Tangki Merak fuel terminal through policy intervention in Pertamina's governance, even though at that time the company was not considered to need additional fuel storage capacity.

In addition to Riza Chalid, 19 other people have also been named as suspects. As a result of this case, the state's losses are estimated to reach IDR 285 trillion.