The Jakarta High Court has handed down a 15-year prison sentence and ordered businessman Muhamad Kerry Adrianto Riza to repay Rp13.4 trillion (some $860 million) to the state for his role in a corrupt coal-supply scheme between state miner Bukit Asam and the national electricity company PLN. Prosecutors celebrated the ruling as a breakthrough in recovering massive economic losses, and observers across Southeast Asia see it as a landmark that may embolden future asset-confiscation efforts in a region where powerful conglomerates have long evaded serious sanction.

Yet a very different picture of accountability is unfolding in Brazil, where the Rio de Janeiro State Audit Court (TCE-RJ), a body charged with scrutinising public expenditure, is itself under scrutiny. An analysis of councillors’ pay records revealed that one member pocketed nearly R$3 million in a single month—more than sixty times the constitutional salary cap of around R$46,000. The bonanza came from ‘penduricalhos’, indemnity payments and perks that sit outside the formal salary ceiling, effectively hollowing out the spirit of the law and eroding the court’s moral authority.

A more constructive use of audit powers is evident in Brazil’s north-east. The State Audit Court of Rio Grande do Norte (TCE-RN) has issued non-punitive alerts to 52 municipalities and several municipal chambers, flagging public employees who may be illegally holding multiple posts. Drawing on data from the first quadrennium of 2026, the court encouraged local governments to investigate and resolve the potential conflicts before formal proceedings become necessary—a proactive, technology-driven approach that contrasts sharply with the self-serving excesses seen in Rio de Janeiro.

These events, observed from financial hubs such as London and Washington, expose the precarious nature of public financial integrity worldwide. The Indonesian ruling demonstrates that even well-connected defendants can face severe consequences when the judiciary is resolute, but the Brazilian examples reveal how easily institutional guardians can become predators. The key lesson is that accountability requires not only robust laws but also the continuous vigilance of the public and the press, lest the watchdogs lose their bite.