Ahok States No Intention to Make Former BUMN Chief Suspect in LNG Case, Everything Stemmed from Audit Findings

Jakarta — Former chief commissioner of PT Pertamina (Persero) Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, known as Ahok, has stated there was no intention to make former Pertamina Gas Director Hari Karyuliarto a suspect in the alleged corruption case regarding liquefied natural gas (LNG) procurement at Pertamina.

Ahok said the LNG procurement corruption case originated from audit findings showing that LNG imports continued despite the absence of any purchase commitment.

“The essence from the audit results is that I only know the audit stated this purchase violated procedures—there was no buyer but purchases were made, that is all I know,” Ahok said whilst testifying as a witness in the hearing of the alleged LNG corruption case at Pertamina at the Specialised Corruption Court (PN Tipikor), Jakarta, on Monday, 2 March 2026.

“I had no intention to make him (Hari) a suspect. I was only safeguarding as chief commissioner; the directors filed a report,” he added. “If you wish, you can call the directors as your own witness so you can ask them directly why in the official report of the BOD-BOC meeting they reported there would be losses of hundreds of millions.”

Previously, Ahok expressed surprise upon learning there would be losses from the sale of liquefied natural gas at Pertamina. Ahok said he received this information from Pertamina’s directors during a routine Board of Directors (BOD) and Board of Commissioners (BOC) meeting when he had just assumed the role of chief commissioner.

“When I first came in, in January there was a routine BOD-BOC meeting. And in that meeting, it was conveyed that there would be losses from LNG sales,” Ahok said during the hearing of the alleged LNG procurement corruption case at Pertamina Specialised Corruption Court, Central Jakarta, on Monday.

The directors presented the information, Ahok confirmed. Ahok said he was surprised and questioned the existence of such state losses. During that meeting, he said, there was debate.

“That is what I remember—then when we first came in we were surprised how this could result in losses. There had to be debate there,” he said.

Ahok stated that from this debate, he learned that the losses were caused because the LNG purchase contract turned out to lack any buyer commitment or end-user commitment.