Politicians under fire after shocking scandal comes to light: 'Surprisingly large'

Politicians under fire after shocking scandal comes to light: 'Surprisingly large'

Matthew Swigonski

Mon, December 1, 2025 at 7:15 PM UTC

2 min read

Officials in Indonesia have found themselves in hot water after their million-dollar private jet use came to light.

As reported by Jakarta Globe, Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is reviewing the findings of an ethics council regarding the General Elections Commission's (KPU) alleged $5.5 million private jet spending.

The KPU has been accused of misusing its allocated budget for leasing private jets for non-official purposes instead of distributing logistics.

The ethics violation was determined by the Election Organizers Ethics Council (DKPP) in Indonesia after a complaint was lodged against the KPU. In mid-October, the council found KPU chairman Mochammad Afifuddin and five commissioners guilty of violating the election organizers' code of ethics, issuing them a "strong warning."

"We will study the DKPP decision and the facts presented in the case. This will serve as additional information for KPK in following up on the public report," KPK spokesperson Budi Prasetyo said in a statement. "Since this is still at the complaint stage, we cannot provide specific details or progress updates."

In total, the KPU officials were found to have taken 59 trips on leased private jets between January and February 2024. This was estimated to have generated around 844,000 pounds of carbon dioxide, roughly the equivalent of driving over 1.8 million miles in a gas-powered car.

According to the International Council on Clean Transportation, private jets produced up to 19.5 million tons of carbon pollution in 2023 alone. That accounted for a 25% increase in private jet usage over the past decade.

Human-based carbon pollution, primarily from the burning of dirty fuels, has been noted to be a leading cause in the rise in global temperatures. The increased trapping of heat caused by this pollution has resulted in more extreme weather events across the globe, as well as rising sea levels and accelerated Arctic ice melt.

"Private jets are a surprisingly large source of air and climate pollution," said Daniel Sitompul, Aviation Fellow at the ICCT. "A typical private jet emits as many greenhouse gases each year as 177 passenger cars or nine heavy-duty highway trucks."

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