AGO soon to summon Ginandjar

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The Attorney General's Office is scheduled to question witnesses in the US$24.8 million scandal on Monday involving former minister of mines and energy Ginandjar Kartasasmita.

The Office's spokesman Barman Zahir told reporters on Friday that a joint team of investigators has sent summonses to four witnesses to be questioned on Monday.

They are former director for exploration and production at state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina Priambodo Mulyo Sudirdjo; Pertamina staff Yus Ruswaya; former director general for oil and gas at the Ministry of Mines and Energy Sujitno Padmosutrisno; and the ministry's expert Ramses Oktavianus Hutapea.

"The joint team will start to summon the suspects after questioning witnesses," Barman said.

Ginandjar, his successor I.B. Sudjana, former Pertamina president Faisal Abda'oe, and PT Ustraindo Petro Gas director Praptono H. Tjitrohupojo, have been accused of breaching the law in a deal that had allegedly caused a total of $24.8 million in losses to the state.

The case revolves around Ginandjar's approval of four technical assistance contracts between Pertamina and PT Ustraindo in 1992 and 1993 which covered oil fields that were still productive at the time.

Moreover, while regulations required PT Ustraindo to pay the costs of oil development in the contract areas, it was Pertamina who actually bore the costs.

Sudjana approved amendments to the contracts with PT Ustraindo in 1995, which resulted in a smaller government oil take.

The Supreme Court ordered a joint team of state and military prosecutors to investigate the case because Ginandjar, who is a retired three-star Vice Air Marshall, was a serving military officer at the time in question.