Travel ban on Victor Hartono casts spotlight on Indonesia’s richest family: Analysts

JAKARTA – The Indonesian authorities’ decision to impose an overseas travel ban on a member of the country’s richest family in connection with a tax-related corruption probe has cast the spotlight on that family as well as the relationship between Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and his predecessor Joko Widodo, analysts say.

Mr Victor Hartono – the CEO of Indonesian conglomerate Djarum and the eldest son of billionaire Robert Budi Hartono –

has been barred from leaving the country

, as part of an ongoing investigation into an alleged graft scheme involving attempts to reduce tax liabilities.

According to data from the Directorate-General of Immigration, the travel ban that was reported by the media on Nov 20 is in effect from Nov 14, 2025, to May 14, 2026.

A spokesman for the Attorney-General’s Office said it had requested travel bans for several individuals pending an investigation into possible underreporting of corporate tax liabilities from 2016 to 2020, according to a Bloomberg report. The requests were to ensure the individuals’ availability for questioning, he added. 

Four other individuals were also added to the no-travel list. They are former taxation director-general Ken Dwijugiasteadi, Jakarta-based tax auditor Karl Layman, tax consultant Heru Budijanto Prabowo, and Semarang tax office head Bernadette Ning Djah Prananingrum.

The Straits Times understands that Mr Hartono learnt of the travel ban when he arrived at Jakarta’s airport earlier this week on his return from a family trip to Japan. A red alert appeared at immigration’s electronic checkpoint gate, upon which he was met by an official from the Attorney-General’s Office, who formally informed him of his legal case and apprised him of the facts.

Dr Boni Hargens, a political analyst at the University of Indonesia, told ST that the travel ban and ongoing probe have cast a spotlight on the Hartono family, which is said to be close to Mr Widodo. Recent events may appear to be seen as a move “against loyalists of the former (Widodo) administration as a way to remove lingering influence from power”, he noted.

“In the current situation, I see harmony at the top level” between President Prabowo and his predecessor, Mr Widodo. “However, that harmony does not match the collective feelings of their supporters,” Dr Boni added.

The Widodo administration (2014-2024) was widely considered business-friendly, with a strong focus on economic reforms to attract investment, streamline bureaucracy, and boost growth.

In 2016, the Djarum group was given the go-ahead to proceed with the extension on a lease on a major hotel in central Jakarta to 50 years, from 30 years. It had received approval from the government for a lease extension in 2010 but the Supreme Audit Agency of Indonesia, which is responsible for auditing the management of state finances, challenged this decision on grounds of “irregularities”.

The Hartono family has consistently been ranked as the richest family in Indonesia. 

Mr Robert Budi Hartono is South-east Asia’s fifth-richest person, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He and his brother Michael Bambang Hartono control PT Bank Central Asia, the nation’s biggest bank by market capitalisation. According to the Forbes list of Indonesia’s 50 Richest published in December 2024, the Hartono brothers held the top position with a combined net worth of US$50.3 billion (S$65.8 billion). 

The Hartono family has widely been considered to be a major financial backer of Mr Widodo’s political campaigns, as well as of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI), chaired by Widodo’s youngest son Kaesang Pangarep.

President Prabowo and former president Mr Widodo were rivals in the 2014 and 2019 presidential elections, both of which were won by the latter. And Mr Widodo appointed former rival Mr Prabowo as defence minister in 2019 as a gesture of reconciliation, following the highly divisive campaign leading up to that year’s presidential election.

In the

February 2024 presidential election

, Mr Widodo endorsed Mr Prabowo, whose running mate was Mr Widodo’s eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Indonesia’s Constitution adopts a maximum of two, five-year presidential terms.

There has been speculation about

increased tensions between Mr Prabowo and Mr Widodo

, given the president’s dismissal of senior officials appointed by his predecessor in the months following the 2024 polls.

When asked by ST what legal measures the younger Mr Hartono might take in light of recent developments, Mr Budi Darmawan, spokesman for the Djarum group, said: ”We respect, comply with, and obey the law and will follow all procedures.”

Dr Dede Utomo of the Surabaya University, who does research on Indonesian society and politics, told ST:

”We had often talked about and made predictions on how long the Prabowo-Jokowi honeymoon period would last. It is normal that President Prabowo naturally would someday try to be independent (from his predecessor’s influence,” he added.

When asked what sort of implications there may be going forward, given the prevailing undercurrents and politican tensions at play, Dr Dede said: “There may be small ripples on the water’s surface and small dramas but these would not be prolonged.”