Lawyer Denies Companies Linked to Sumatera Blackout

Hotman Paris Hutapea, legal counsel for Febrie Adriansyah, has vehemently denied allegations that two companies, PT Oktasan Baruna Persada (OBP) and PT Buana Rizki Armia (BRA), were involved in the Sumatera electricity blackout. The police have accused these companies of corruption in coal procurement, allegedly causing state losses of up to Rp 5 trillion. Hutapea asserted that the companies in question were suppliers of coal for power plants in Bali and Java, not Sumatera, where the blackout occurred. "The companies that are coal suppliers, which are accused of being involved, turned out not to be suppliers for North Sumatera, even though the blackout was in North Sumatera, but they are for Bali and Java," Hutapea stated outside the Attorney General's Office on Friday, July 17, 2026. He questioned the police's estimate of Rp 5 trillion in state losses, emphasizing that no official and clear calculation has been made regarding the damages from the blackout. Febrie Adriansyah himself is currently a suspect in a corruption and money laundering case related to PT Asabri. His status as a former Junior Attorney General for Special Crimes (Jampidsus) also involves him as a witness in cases concerning coal procurement corruption and alleged corruption in settling debts for a subsidiary of PT Krakatau Steel. The police's Directorate for Special Crimes (Kortastipidkor) previously stated that the alleged corruption in coal supply procurement for steam power plants (PLTU) occurred between 2018 and 2026. They indicated that blackouts caused by this alleged corruption happened in various regions in 2026, including parts of Kalimantan, Central Java, East Java, Jakarta metropolitan area, and parts of Sumatera. Investigators from Kortastipidkor estimate the financial losses to the state due to these alleged criminal acts to be around Rp 5 trillion. However, this figure is not yet final, as the team is still coordinating with the Audit Board of Indonesia (BPK) for an official investigative audit. Investigators have reportedly uncovered alleged irregularities in the procurement process and fulfillment of coal supplies by PT OBP and PT BRA.