IN October 2019, Agus Suparmanto became trade minister in Joko Widodo’s second-term cabinet through the National Awakening Party (PKB). But in 2013, he was reported for allegedly defrauding his business partners in Aneka Tambang’s (Antam) nickel ore mining and transport in Tanjung Buli, East Halmahera, North Maluku.

The trade minister’s business partners at Yudistira Bumi Bhakti also accuse Agus of having marked up the project&