How transparent are the new Indonesian President's business interests?

One month ago, Prabowo Subianto was inaugurated as the new president of Indonesia. An investigation by The Gecko Project has revealed that Subianto has invested in or owned companies involved with rainforest logging, coal mining, palm oil production, and industrial fishing - but many of the companies appear to be inactive.

Do these investments representing potentially concerning conflicts of interest, or are they par for the course? Are his own claims of enormous wealth accurate or exaggerated?

Alasdair speaks to the author of the Gecko Project research, Margareth Aritonang, who is also the Pulitzer Center's 2024 Rainforest Investigations Fellow for Indonesia.

Further reading:

• Read Margareth's reporting here.
• 'Activists fear supercharged ‘business as usual’ under Indonesia’s new president', Mongabay, November 2024
• The 'Indonesian environmental activists keep dying in suspicious circumstances', Gecko Project, September 2024

Click here to read our investigation into the UK biomass supply chain, or watch a clip from the BBC Newsnight documentary.