House to investigate corruption at Pertamina despite objections<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Despite strong opposition from the Golkar and
\nIndonesian Military\/National Police factions, the House of
\nRepresentatives agreed on Tuesday to establish a special
\ncommittee investigating alleged corruption at the state-owned oil
\nand gas company PT Pertamina.<\/p>\n
The decision to exercise its investigative rights was taken
\nduring the House plenary session, although there was still no
\ndecision about when the team would be formed.<\/p>\n
\"In this plenary session the House agreed to probe several
\nmajor corruption cases at Pertamina,\" House deputy speaker A.M.
\nFatwa said when closing the plenary session.<\/p>\n
The probe was proposed in March by 119 legislators, mostly
\nfrom the National Awakening Party (PKB) and the Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan) factions.<\/p>\n
Attorney General Marzuki Darusman recently disclosed that his
\noffice is handling 10 corruption cases in suspicious projects at
\nPertamina, some of them allegedly involving the family of former
\npresident Soeharto.<\/p>\n
The House's decision on Pertamina came just one day after it
\nendorsed on Monday the formation of a special committee to probe
\nthe Rp 144 trillion (US$13 billion) Bank Indonesia Liquidity
\nSupport (BLBI) scandal.<\/p>\n
PKB and PDI Perjuangan were also its main sponsors.<\/p>\n
Golkar and the TNI\/Police factions insisted the corruption
\ncases be handled by law enforcers and not the House itself.<\/p>\n
\"According to principles of law supremacy, we should leave the
\ninquiry to the police and the prosecutors' office,\" said
\nJamaluddin Sahidu from the Golkar Party faction during Tuesday's
\nsession.<\/p>\n
Golkar was a strong supporter of establishing a similar
\ncommittee to scrutinize President Abdurrahman Wahid's alleged
\ninvolvement in the Bulog and Brunei scandals.<\/p>\n
TNI\/Police faction at that time abstained.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday, the TNI\/Police faction also highlighted the same
\nreason for rejecting the proposal, saying that the House should
\nawait the results of the ongoing hearings between House
\nCommission VIII for environmental, science and technology
\naffairs, and Pertamina about the case.<\/p>\n
The faction urged the Attorney General's Office to prioritize
\nthe Pertamina cases.<\/p>\n
\"However, the establishment of another special committee on
\nPertamina would only increase the workload of the House,\" the
\nfaction spokesperson Rukmini hinted.<\/p>\n
The House has increasingly used its rights to investigate a
\nnumber of high-profile cases, and so far it has set up 20 special
\ncommittees.(dja)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/house-to-investigate-corruption-at-pertamina-despite-objections-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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