17/09/2026

THURSDAY | SEPT 17, 2026

7

Prabowo loyalist linked to ouster

Suahasil, in a WhatsApp message to senior ministry officials on Friday seen by Reuters, said he had advised Purbaya to postpone the ceremony until concerns of the tax and customs chiefs were addressed. Suahasil did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment. The customs office said on Tuesday it was awaiting direction from the new finance minister on the appointments. While the falling out with Djaka proved to be the decisive one, it was not the only fractious relationship Purbaya had with top officials. He clashed with Bank Indonesia’s previous governor Perry Warjiyo over his policy of placing government cash in state-owned lenders to support credit. Purbaya was also at odds with Danantara chief Rosan Roeslani after saying the sovereign wealth fund would transfer 120 trillion rupiah (RM27.5 billion) of its profits to help meet this year’s fiscal deficit target. Rosan later said no such plan had been discussed. Prabowo has appointed close allies and several fellow former and active soldiers to top spots in running the government, including Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and his Cabinet secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya, who handles all of the president’s agenda. – Reuters

Two sources who heard about it later said Djaka objected to the plan and reported it directly to Prabowo on Friday before the president left for India to attend the BRICS summit. Prabowo returned to Jakarta on Monday. The same day, Purbaya was informed he had been sacked in a call from the president’s spokesperson as he was in the middle of a hearing discussing Prabowo’s 2027 budget plan. Purbaya said on Tuesday, after he handed over to his successor Suahasil Nazara in a terse ceremony, that an internal reshuffle played a part in his sacking, but did not explain further. He also said he was following Prabowo’s policies. The first source also said Bimo and Purbaya had differences over tax refunds. Bimo supported timely repayments, while Purbaya tended to delay refunds, frequently arguing companies’ claims should be closely scrutinised to prevent leakages in state revenue. A third source close to Purbaya said the minister had justified the rotation decision to Prabowo as being necessary to improve revenue collection by both agencies. But when asked about the matter just after his appointment on Monday, Suahasil, a veteran technocrat who was promoted from a deputy finance minister, told reporters he would review all the appointments.

Djaka and the head of the tax department, Bimo Wijayanto, objected to the job rotation, the sources said, and Djaka took his complaints directly to Prabowo. Both officials report to the finance minister but were handpicked by Prabowo, the first source said. Customs chief Djaka was a member of the president’s special forces team during military service. One source said Djaka, who according to media reports was found guilty in a military court of kidnapping and forcibly disappearing rights activists in the 1990s, enjoys direct access to Prabowo. Purbaya, according to the same source, needed approval from the president’s inner circle to secure meetings. Djaka denied on Tuesday there was any conflict preceding the sacking. Bimo and the presidential office did not respond to requests for comment. Prabowo has previously said a successful leader must choose “the best” people for the team, not because of family, friendship or crony ties. The dispute peaked at an inauguration ceremony last Thursday for hundreds of officials across senior and middle-management ranks. Purbaya spoke on the occasion and said the rotation was based on professional assessments as well as consultation with relevant officials.

129 STILL MISSING IN JAVA SEA BANJARMASIN: Desperation and frustration are growing among families of the 129 people still missing following the weekend capsizing of a ship in Java Sea, as persistent heavy seas and bad weather continue to restrict search-and-rescue operations. The Virgo Transport 8 was carrying 243 people on a 20-hour voyage from Surabaya to Banjarmasin when it capsized in bad weather on Sunday. The official death toll stood at six people with 108 rescued and 129 unaccounted for. The Coast Guard and Navy have been unable to launch underwater search operations because of waves of up to 2.5m and strong winds near the capsized vessel, I Putu Sudayana, the head of Banjarmasin’s rescue agency, told Reuters. EIGHT HELD IN BRIBERY CASE JAKARTA: Indonesia’s anti-graft agency said it has detained eight people, including the president director of property developer Summarecon Agung and government officials, in an alleged bribery case involving land-use rights. Electronic evidence and cash in rupiah and foreign currencies worth a combined 106.3 billion rupiah (RM24.3 million) were seized by the agency, which is known as KPK, acting director of investigations Achmad Taufik Husein said late on Tuesday. The agency had detained the eight suspects for an initial 20 days at KPK detention facilities in Jakarta, he said. Summarecon Agung did not respond to a request for comment. Achmad said the casewas related to an application to extend a right-to-build title for land managed by Summarecon in Bogor, West Java. – Reuters NORWAY RAIDS TELENOR HQ OSLO: Norwegian authorities said they had carried out a search at the headquarters of Norwegian telecoms operator Telenor, which is suspected of complicity in crimes against humanity in Myanmar. Customers of the group’s former Myanmar subsidiary, Telenor Myanmar (TML), sued the operator earlier this year for sharing their sensitive personal data with the government. They argued that the information was used to identify, arrest and prosecute activists. Norway’s National Criminal Investigation Service (Kripos) and the interior security service, PST, had launched separate investigations into Telenor. Kripos was investigating Telenor over suspicions of complicity in crimes against humanity. PST was investigating a possible sanctions violation. – AFP The three sources said a clash between Purbaya and customs and excise chief Djaka Budhi Utama erupted over the reshuffling of hundreds of officials at the Finance Ministry, most of them in the tax and customs directorates. JAKARTA: President Prabowo Subianto sacked finance minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa after he clashed with a top ministry official who served on Prabowo’s former special forces team, three government sources said. Analysts and investors welcomed the replacing of Purbaya as a move that would help restore confidence in the US$1.5 trillion (RM6.1 trillion) G20 economy after months of uncertain policy-making. But it was bureaucratic infighting that led Prabowo to finally oust the minister, said people familiar with the matter. The episode is another example of Prabowo’s personal style of governance, with the former special forces commander making decisions based on feedback more from his trusted inner circle and loyalists than professionals and experts, analysts say. o Proposed staff reshuffle sparked clash, say sources

Duterte at the ICC yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

BR I E F S

Duterte makes first in-person ICC appearance THE HAGUE: Former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte appeared in person at the International Criminal Court for the first time yesterday, as he faces charges over his “war on drugs” that killed thousands. Duterte faces three counts of crimes against humanity, with prosecutors alleging his involvement in at least 76 murders between 2013 and 2018 during his offensive against drug users and sellers. Korner has set Nov 30 as the start date of the trial.

Korner chided the prosecution for “wholesale dumping”of documents and urged the parties to work together to reduce the size of the case file. Relatives of some of those killed in the anti drugs campaign welcomed Duterte’s appearance in court. Randy Delos Santos, 48, an uncle of Kian Delos Santos, a teenager killed by police in August 2017, when Duterte was president, said: “Of course, we are very happy that he is now able to attend in person. “We hope that his being physically fit will help speed up the hearings,” Santos told AFP in Manila. In a submission published on Tuesday, Duterte’s lawyers said he suffered from “significant memory impairment that prevents him from retaining recent information and reliably accessing memories”. Judges are weighing whether he is mentally fit to be tried and have ordered a medical assessment by three experts. That assessment has not been made public but Duterte’s defence cited the results of examinations contained in the report. – AFP

The 81-year-old had appeared by video link when he was first brought to the court in The Hague, but had since skipped hearings, with his defence team saying he was too ill. Dressed in a dark suit and white shirt with no tie, the former president sat with his chin resting on his hands as proceedings opened. Judge Joanna Korner noted his appearance and said he could leave the court at any time without seeking permission from the bench. But he stayed throughout the hearing, which lasted one hour and 15 minutes, showing no emotion and seeming to follow proceedings through headphones. Duterte did not speak during the hearing but waved at the public gallery when the judge had left the courtroom at the end. He is the first Asian former head of state to face trial at the ICC, which prosecutes individuals for the world’s worst crimes such as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The only time Duterte had been seen since his arrest in March 2025 was an initial appearance via video, where he seemed confused and tired, his speech barely audible. Yestersday’s hearing was a “status hearing” for the parties and the judge to fix logistical details. Lawyers clashed over evidence filed by the prosecution, which they said was around 15,000 pieces but the defence put at more than 62,000 documents. “It’s quite enormous. It’s impossible,” said defence lawyer Peter Haynes. “We haven’t got a prayer of reading” such a mountain of documents before the trial starts, said Haynes. “The current state of the case is a mess. If I had a younger, healthier client, I would invite you to put back the trial by six months ... but I don’t,” said Duterte’s lawyer.