Former Freeport Indonesia Chief Maroef Sjamsoeddin Appointed as MIND ID CEO
JAKARTA, Investortrust.id – Indonesia’s state-owned mining holding company, MIND ID, has appointed Maroef Sjamsoeddin as its new President Director, replacing Hendi Prio Santoso.
Maroef, a former military and intelligence officer, is best known for his tenure as President Director of PT Freeport Indonesia, where he played a key role in exposing the high-profile "Papa Minta Saham" ("Papa Wants Shares") scandal. His appointment was confirmed by MIND ID Corporate Secretary Heri Yusuf in response to media inquiries.
The "Papa Wants Shares" Scandal
Maroef’s leadership at Freeport Indonesia gained national attention in 2015 when he secretly recorded a conversation between then-Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Setya Novanto, and oil businessman Muhammad Riza Chalid. The recording revealed that the two figures attempted to solicit shares from Freeport Indonesia by falsely invoking the names of President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla.
The exposure of this scandal, often referred to as "Papa Wants Shares," led to a major political storm in Indonesia. Setya Novanto was forced to resign from his parliamentary leadership position following an ethics investigation. The case was widely seen as a major anti-corruption breakthrough, with Maroef's recording serving as crucial evidence.
Later in 2018, Setya Novanto was sentenced to 15 years in prison for his involvement in a $170 million corruption case linked to the national electronic ID card project.
Also, Riza Chalid is currently under scrutiny by the Attorney General's Office (AGO), which is investigating his potential involvement in a significant corruption case at state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina, following the designation of his son, Muhammad Kerry Andrianto Riza, as a suspect last week.
Given Maroef's demonstrated commitment to combating corruption within Indonesia's political elite and addressing systemic abuses in natural resource management, there is an expectation that he will continue to uphold ethical governance as he assumes leadership of MIND ID.
A Background in Security and Intelligence
Before entering the corporate world, Maroef had a distinguished career in the Indonesian military. He retired as an Air Vice Marshal from the Indonesian Air Force’s special operations unit, Korps Pasukan Khas (Paskhas), now known as the Rapid Reaction Force Command (Kopasgat). He graduated from the Indonesian Air Force Academy in 1980 and served in various key roles, including as Commander of Squadron 465 Paskhas.
Maroef later transitioned into intelligence, serving as Indonesia’s Defense Attaché in Brazil before taking on senior positions at the National Intelligence Agency (BIN). His roles at BIN included Director for Counter-Separatism, Defense and Security Expert Staff, and Deputy Head of BIN from 2011 to 2014.
After his military and intelligence career, Maroef was appointed as President Director of PT Freeport Indonesia in 2015 by the late James Robert "Jim Bob" Moffett, co-founder and former CEO of Freeport-McMoRan, replacing Rozik Boedioro Soetjipto. He held the position until January 2016.
Maroef leadership during the turbulent period of Freeport's contract renegotiations and the "Papa Wants Shares" scandal solidified his reputation as a figure committed to corporate transparency and ethical governance. Now, as he steps into the leadership role at MIND ID, expectations are high that he will bring the same integrity and governance reforms to the state-owned mining holding company.