Fajarasia.id – Indonesian police investigators have questioned Halim Kalla, the younger brother of former Vice President Jusuf Kalla, for nine hours in connection with an alleged corruption case involving the construction of the West Kalimantan coal-fired power plant (PLTU 1 Kalbar).
Halim, who serves as President Director of PT BRN, was interrogated as a suspect. The marathon session ran from 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. with several breaks. “The examination has just been completed with a total of 50 questions,” said Brigadier General Totok Suharyanto, Director of Enforcement at the Police’s Anti-Corruption Task Force, Thursday (Nov. 20, 2025).
Following the questioning, Halim’s whereabouts were unclear. Reporters waiting in the lobby of the National Police headquarters did not see him leave the building.
Four Suspects and Dozens of Witnesses
The corruption case, covering the period 2008–2018, has named four suspects: Halim Kalla (HK), former PLN president director Fahmi Mochtar (FM), PT BRN director identified as RR, and PT Praba director identified as HYL.
Investigators have also questioned 65 witnesses and five expert witnesses from institutions including the National Public Procurement Agency (LKPP), the Audit Board of Indonesia (BPK), EPCC, as well as labor and state finance experts.
Case Background
The case stems from the construction of a 2×50 MW coal-fired power plant in Jungkat, Mempawah Regency, West Kalimantan. In 2008, PLN held a re-tender, but under the direction of then-president director Fahmi Mochtar, the procurement committee approved the consortium KSO BRN–Alton–OJSC despite failing to meet technical and administrative requirements.
Evidence suggests that Alton–OJSC was not actually part of the consortium. In 2009, before the contract was signed, KSO BRN transferred the entire project to PT Praba Indopersada in exchange for a fee arrangement with PT BRN. PT Praba, however, lacked the capacity to carry out the project.
The contract, worth Rp1.254 trillion (USD 80.8 million), was signed in June 2009 with a completion deadline of February 2012. Yet by 2016, work had stalled at 85.56 percent completion. Despite this, KSO BRN had already received payments totaling Rp323 billion and USD 62.4 million.
State Losses
An investigative audit by the Audit Board of Indonesia (BPK) concluded that the project caused a total state loss of USD 62.41 million and Rp323.19 billion.
The case was initially investigated by the West Kalimantan Regional Police in 2021 before being transferred to the National Police’s Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) in May 2024.
