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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Elections & Politics

Indonesia: No Law Against Using Personal Funds for President's Official Trips, Says Finance Minister

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • Indonesian Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa stated that there are no regulations prohibiting the use of personal funds for official state trips.
  • He advised that details regarding the President's travel expenses should be sought from the State Secretariat.
  • The clarification follows comments from former Deputy Foreign Minister Dino Patti Djalal regarding the cost of President Prabowo Subianto's foreign travel.

Indonesian Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa has addressed inquiries regarding the use of personal funds for President Prabowo Subianto's official foreign travel. Sadewa affirmed that there are no regulations preventing officials from supplementing state-funded trips with their own money.

There are no rules stating that if I have money, and I go (on official duty), I cannot use my own funds, logically. It's permissible if one wishes to use personal funds.

— Purbaya Yudhi SadewaResponding to questions about the use of personal funds for presidential travel.

Speaking at a press conference on the State Budget (APBN) in Jakarta on Friday, June 5, 2026, Sadewa stated, "There are no rules stating that if I have money, and I go (on official duty), I cannot use my own funds, logically. It's permissible if one wishes to use personal funds."

You want to see the President's secrets? Of course, that's not allowed. We know the figures, but please ask the State Secretariat for a definitive answer.

— Purbaya Yudhi SadewaExplaining why details of the President's travel expenses cannot be disclosed by the Finance Ministry.

However, Sadewa declined to provide specific details about the budget used for President Prabowo's trips, suggesting that such information should be obtained from the State Secretariat. "You want to see the President's secrets? Of course, that's not allowed. We know the figures, but please ask the State Secretariat for a definitive answer," he remarked.

So, any excess costs (additional costs) from what has been budgeted by the state are fully borne by President Prabowo personally.

— Teddy Indra WijayaConfirming that President Prabowo covers additional costs for his foreign trips with personal funds.

The use of President Prabowo's personal funds for additional travel expenses was previously disclosed by Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya. This clarification aimed to address various issues surrounding the financing of the President's visits and respond to comments made by former Deputy Foreign Minister Dino Patti Djalal. Djalal had raised concerns about the significant costs associated with presidential foreign travel, noting that the president spends a substantial amount of time abroad.

The cost of a head of state's visit abroad is large, even very large.

— Dino Patti DjalalCommenting on the significant expenses associated with presidential foreign travel.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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