Meet Basuki Hariman: priest, corruption convict, meat import businessman, and since recently also one of Indonesia’s largest garlic importers. He is part of a small circle of men who, a close reading of import trade data suggests, have captured much of Indonesia’s roughly USD 650m-a-year garlic import trade.
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| Basuki with KPK vest |
In early 2017 he and a close associate, Ng Fenny, were arrested by Indonesia’s Corruption Eradication Commissions, the Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi (KPK), for bribing an Indonesian Constitutional Court justice, Patrialis Akbar, to influence a judicial review. Basuki’s business involved importing beef from countries like Australia and the USA. The enactment of the 2014 law allowed the government to import buffalo meat from India, which led to lower market prices and decreased demand for his company’s imported beef. ( By winning the judicial review, he hoped to stop or limit these buffalo meat imports to protect his business interests. (74/PID.SUS/TPK/2017/PN.Jkt.Pst) In August 2017 a Jakarta court convicted both (Hukumonline). Basuki was sentenced to seven years (later reduced) and was released on parole in early 2022.
Basuki, as a part-time priest, has not shied away from speeches to share business parables: a partner who vanished with his money; the choice to stay calm and “release” the loss to God; the promise that “half” the missing funds returned as a “miracle” (Bethany Bulungan Jakarta, September 14, 2025). In another sermon, the priest told another story about being conned by a man who performed piety and charity to win trust, and then claims that refusing revenge brought new business contacts, even from Singapore, via simple Google searches. He also says that when he came out of prison two years earlier he “didn’t have anything”, and that now he has “everything” (Bethany Bulungan Jakarta, September 8, 2026).
In early 2026, Basuki repeatedly claimed that he secured large import quotas without bribery, framing regulatory approval as divine intervention.
“I hope that this year, Lord, please don’t use ‘quotas’ anymore; importing meat makes me dizzy, Lord. Dealing with this quota gives me a headache. I pray to God so that I can get a quota that is enough for me to work for one whole year, so I can sell and trade properly. […] I don’t want to have to bribe those officials. It’s a headache, Lord. […] Oh God, I submitted it properly, I completed all the requirements. Everything I completed. Whatever the rules were, I followed them, just one thing: if I’m told I have to pay to get a quota, I say I can’t. If I pay, I’m finished; after that I’ll be called by the KPK [Indonesian Corruption Eradication Commission]. How’s that? I need a quota of about 30,000 to 40,000 tons, and rather than relying on generals or the president or your deposits and your wealth, we must boast in our sufferings so that God sees that we truly rely on Him” (Bethany Bulungan Jakarta, January 11, 2026).
Saya berharap tahun ini, Tuhan, jangan pakai ‘kuota-kuota’ lagi, import daging itu pusing saya, Tuhan, urusin kuota ini pusing. Saya berdoa Tuhan biar saya bisa dapat kuota yang cukup untuk saya kerja satu tahun ini, saya bisa berjualan bisa berdagang dengan baik. […] Saya enggak mau fnyogok-nyogok itu pejabat-pejabat pusing Tuhan. […] Aduh tuhan Saya ajukan baik, saya lengkapi seluruh persyaratan semua saya lengkap, apa pun aturannya saya ikuti, cuman satu: kalau saya disuruh bayar kalau dapat kuota, saya bilang enggak bisa. Kalau saya bayar habis saya, habis itu saya dipanggil KPK. Gimana? Saya butuh kuota kira-kira sekitar 30.000 sampai 40.000 ton, dan daripada mengandalkan jenderal-jenderal atau presiden atau depositomu dan kekayaanmu, kita harus bermegah dalam kesengsaraan kita supaya Tuhan melihat bahwa kita betul-betul mengandalkan Dia.
A close reading of trade data for garlic imports between 2018 and October 2025, cross-checked against company phone numbers, addresses, and company profiles publicly available on Indonesia’s Directorate General of Legal Administrative Affairs (AHU-Direktorat Jenderal Administrasi Hukum Umum) reveals a cluster of twelve firms linked to Basuki Hariman. This cluster of companies under Basuki’s control imported garlic in only 3 specific years, 2018, 2023 and 2025, totalling more than USD 112 million in declared value, with a marked “comeback” in 2025 through eight new companies. One company, PT Kencana Murni Indah Sejati, is owned openly by Basuki Hariman and Ng Fenny and was still importing as of September 2025, sourcing mainly from China, as shown in the Table below.
The table shows compiled import values in million US-Dollars. 2025 numbers only cover the first 10 months of the year.
Together, these twelve firms account for approximately 18% of Indonesia’s total garlic imports during the first 10 months of 2025.
An interesting fact is that all new companies use virtual offices, these might be used to enable the illusion that the companies are unrelated and spread out among different cities:
- Jalan Agung Timur 8 Nomor 12 A (Creative Space)
- Jalan Gading Kirana Timur A.11/15 (Hive Five)
- Gd. The Kensington Office Tower Lt. 2 Ruang B2 Jl. Boulevard Raya №1 (jasakanaja.co.id)
- Gd Ciputra International Office (Tokopedia Care) Lantai 16 Ruang 38 (jasakanaja.co.id)
Several firms list individuals who appear to function as proxies, including Adhi Jhon Suyadi S.H., Gokma Sahala, Christian Rovy Annes and Lasimin Nur S. In phone-tagging apps, the name “Basuki” is attached multiple times to Adhi Jhon Suyadi’s number. This is an imperfect indicator, but suggestive of a working relationship.
Interestingly, two of the nominees match names found in unrelated criminal cases:
- Adhi Jhon Suyadi was the mastermind behind a high-profile armed robbery and hostage situation in Pondok Indah, South Jakarta, in September 2016. He, along with several accomplices, broke into the home of a former ExxonMobil executive, Asep Sulaiman, while wearing masks and carrying firearms. Although the incident was initially suspected to be a kidnapping or a professional hit, Adhi Jhon later claimed in court that he was a former security guard for the victim and that his motive was a personal dispute regarding employment and financial matters rather than simple theft. In April 2017, the South Jakarta District Court found him guilty and sentenced him to 6 years in prison for his role in the robbery and illegal possession of firearms. Detik.
- Christian Rovy Annes, also known as Evan, is an Indonesian national born in Toli-toli on December 25, 1974. According to court documents, he resided in the Kelapa Dua district of Tangerang, Banten. A high school graduate and private sector employee, Christian followed the Christian faith.
An incident occurred in the early hours of October 5, 2012, after Christian and several companions, including Abdul Rivai and others, left a karaoke venue in Tangerang. While driving a Daihatsu Xenia, the group encountered the victim, Agus Kurnia Tambunan. After an initial altercation between a passenger and the victim, Christian joined the pursuit, punching the victim in the face and kicking him after he had already fallen to the ground. His co-defendant, Abdul Rivai, escalated the violence by striking the victim’s head with a stone to ensure he had died. Medical reports later confirmed the victim died from a skull fracture and brain tissue damage caused by blunt force trauma. In the resulting trial, the Tangerang District Court found Christian guilty of “participating in murder” under Article 338 of the Criminal Code. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison, a shorter term than his co-defendant Abdul, who received 10 years due to the more lethal nature of his specific actions. Although the case was brought to the Banten High Court for appeal, the justices upheld Christian’s 8-year sentence, ruling that the original verdict was just and supported by the facts of the violent encounter. Source.
Another link to the new companies is PT Hapimeats Kuliner Indonesia which uses the same phone number as the nominee companies. Hapimeats is a company involved in the food/culinary sector, a halal and NKV-certified beef supplier offering various types of beef (US Prime, AUS, Wagyu).
Hapimeats is 60% is owned by Philip Anderson (born 1999) who seems to be the son of Yongki Hariman, and 20% each by Ng Nelly & Ng Husin. The trio also owns PT Trinity Anugrah Perkasa and PT Himalaya Agung Perkasa, which also specialize in meat wholesale.
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| Yongki Hariman (Instagram) |
Yongki (who is the brother of Basuki) himself owns PT Komodo Indonesia, which did imported garlic in (or possibly up to) 2018, but has since moved to importing Frozen Beef & Pork.
PT Hosia Mulia Perkasa, another affiliate, is owned by Basuki Hariman and Ng Fenny (former staff, but married Hariman Basuki in 2023). According to their instagram, they import pork.
Garlic imports are government regulated and prone to rent-seeking practices. Importers must clear licensing requirements, most prominently the agriculture ministry’s horticulture recommendation (RIPH — Rekomendasi Impor Produk Hortikultura) and the trade ministry’s import approval (SPI/PI — Surat Persetujuan Impor/ Persetujuan Impor), before any container can land.
While prior criminal convictions do not imply wrongdoing in the present case, the use of nominees with serious criminal histories raises questions about transparency and governance within the network.
What is clear is that a trade intended to be tightly regulated has, once again, become highly concentrated — raising questions about oversight, transparency, and enforcement.
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