Heru Andriyanto, Maria Gabrielle Putrinda, Jakarta – While serving as deputy attorney general for special crimes, Febrie Adriansyah frequently presented corruption suspects in major cases at press conferences in his office, giving the media an opportunity to photograph and film them wearing detention vests and handcuffs.
However, when Febrie himself was eventually named a corruption suspect, there was no such spectacle. He was not detained, did not wear the Attorney General's Office's pink detention vest, and was not handcuffed when he underwent his first questioning on July 17.
That was only one of a series of controversies surrounding the handling of his case, as outlined below.
1. Case transferred to the Attorney General's Office
Febrie was named a suspect after police found 74 kilograms of gold bullion in a concealed safe at one of his homes in Bogor, West Java. However, police later transferred the investigation, along with the evidence and the suspects, to the Attorney General's Office's special crimes division – the same office Febrie had led since January 2022 before resigning on July 11, 2026, because of the case implicating him.
Although legal procedures require police to hand over criminal cases to prosecutors for prosecution, that obligation does not apply during the investigative stage. It is also rare for a case to be transferred at such an early stage of an investigation.
Anti-corruption activists and several legal observers said the Attorney General's Office's handling of the case could create a conflict of interest because many of its corruption investigators were previously Febrie's subordinates. They suggested that the case be transferred to the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK.
"The transfer of the case from the police to the Attorney General's Office at the preliminary stage of the investigation certainly raises questions," said Wana Alamsyah of Indonesia Corruption Watch. "The police should have transferred it to the KPK to avoid a conflict of interest in the handling of the case."
2. Not detained
Apart from Febrie, the case has a second suspect, a lawyer and businessman named Don Ritto. However, there has been a striking difference in the way police and prosecutors have treated the two men.
Don Ritto was already in custody when he was questioned by prosecutors and appeared in handcuffs, while Febrie was allowed to return home and was able to avoid reporters before and after questioning.
One of Febrie's lawyers said he was not detained because he had been cooperative, as demonstrated by his resignation from office. The AGO has not provided a clear explanation as to why Don Ritto was detained while Febrie was not.
3. Initially described as a witness
On July 15, AGO spokesman Anang Supriatna said Febrie was still considered a witness in three cases being investigated by police: alleged corruption in coal supplies to power plants operated by state electricity company PLN, a debt-related matter involving a subsidiary of state-owned steelmaker Krakatau Steel, and alleged irregularities at state insurer Asabri.
The statement contradicted an earlier police announcement that Febrie and Don Ritto had already been named corruption suspects in the three cases following searches at 12 locations. The locations included Febrie's home, a money changer, three properties belonging to Don Ritto, and a cafe in Jakarta.
Amid confusion and public debate over the conflicting information, Anang later corrected his earlier statement and confirmed that Febrie was a suspect.
"Febrie Adriansyah's status remains that of a suspect, based on the designation previously made by investigators from the Police Corruption Eradication Corps," Anang said in a statement.
4. Prabowo's name invoked
Prominent lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea said Febrie was "someone President Prabowo Subianto could be proud of" because he had recovered Rp 430 trillion ($24 billion) in state assets while serving as deputy attorney general.
Hotman also said he had represented Prabowo and the president's brother, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, for years and had never lost a case.
According to Hotman, police had discredited Febrie from the outset because details of the searches and the discovery of gold and cash were "immediately made viral" on social media, even before Febrie was questioned.
"If a deputy attorney general can be treated like that by the police, what about ordinary people? That is why I agreed to become Mr. Febrie's lawyer," Hotman said on Friday.
5. No confirmed owner of the gold and cash found by police
During simultaneous searches at 12 locations, police found millions of dollars in cash denominated in three currencies: Indonesian rupiah, US dollars, and Singapore dollars.
At Febrie's home in Bogor alone, police found 74 kilograms of gold bullion and cash in various currencies worth the equivalent of about Rp 476 billion ($26.5 million).
At a July 10 press conference, Febrie acknowledged that the house searched by police belonged to him, but denied owning the gold and cash.
Hotman later claimed that Don Ritto had occupied his client's house in Bogor since 2022.
"Mr. Febrie has also no longer paid the housekeepers and domestic staff," Hotman said on Friday. "If there were minor renovations inside the house after 2022, they were carried out under Don Ritto's management and without Mr. Febrie's knowledge."
Hotman made the remarks in response to the discovery of the concealed safe used to store the gold and cash at the property.
Meanwhile, Don Ritto's lawyer, Handika Hanggowongso, said his client had used the house as the office of a foundation engaged in Islamic preaching and education.
Regarding the foreign-currency cash and dozens of gold bars found at the house, Handika said his client had an explanation but would disclose it only after investigators had completed the questioning process.