Indonesian Defense Ministry Drops Plan to Buy Mirage Fighter Jets from Qatar

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Defense Ministry confirmed that the intended purchase of used Mirage 2000-5 fighter jets from Qatar has been called off. Deputy Minister Muhammad Herindra explained the reasons.

“The plan to purchase the Mirage 2000-5 has not yet been realized due to limited financial resources,” Herindra said at the Defense Ministry’s Office Complex in Gambir, Central Jakarta, on Monday, Feb. 12.

He said that, however, the ministry remained committed to acquiring the best fighter aircraft to safeguard the country's airspace. “One of them is the purchase of Rafale Dassault fighter aircraft from France, which will soon arrive in Indonesia in stages. We believe that this fighter aircraft can reinforce Indonesia's air defense system,” he added.

Dahnil Anzar Simanjuntak, a spokesperson for Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, further emphasized that the plan to buy the Mirage 2000-5 aircraft was ineffective because it did not meet the requirements. He said the deal with Qatar signed on January 31, 2023, had been terminated.

“Due to fiscal constraints, we did not have the resources to pay, so the contract was ineffective,” Dahnil said.

Meanwhile, Hotman Paris, a lawyer for the Ministry of Defense, brushed off allegations of corruption and bribery, stressing that no state funds had been lost or spent, and therefore, no bribery could have taken place.

“There's no money. If there is no money, who will make the bribes? And it wasn't one or two million dollars. Not one penny of state money [came out]. So how could the Defense Ministry officials cover the bribe money,” Hotman said.

The Defense Ministry has faced criticism over the deal, with allegations of corruption and bribery being leveled against them. These allegations were fueled by a report by a foreign media outlet, Meta Nex, titled "Indonesia Prabowo Subianto EU Corruption Investigation". 

The report unveiled the deal between the Indonesian Defense Ministry, under the leadership of Prabowo Subianto who is currently running for president in the upcoming election, and Qatar to procure 12 used Mirage fighter jets worth US$792 million (Rp12.4 trillion), or US$66 million per jet. It was also reported that the Council of Europe's anti-corruption watchdog, GRECO, was investigating the alleged scandal.

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