Denying Crude Oil Governance Corruption, Alfian Nasution Claims Achievements: This is Irony

JAKARTA, KOMPAS.com - Former President Director of PT Pertamina Patra Niaga for the period 2021–2023, Alfian Nasution, has denied any intention of corruption in the alleged case of crude oil and refinery product governance. He views the prosecutors’ allegations as a misinterpretation of energy business mechanisms, as stated in his defence note (pleidoi) read out at the Central Jakarta District Court on Monday (27/4/2026). “This accusation arises from differing perspectives on how the energy business is conducted, not from malicious intent or corrupt actions,” Alfian said before the panel of judges. He claimed involvement in several strategic programmes, such as the development of Biosolar through FAME blending, the one-price fuel programme for remote areas, and the elimination of Premium fuel in favour of Pertalite. For these contributions, he said he had received the Satyalancana Wira Karya award from President Joko Widodo in 2023. However, he considers it ironic that he is now being charged over policies that he says align with efforts to provide more environmentally friendly energy. “I am accused of harming the state by proposing a base price formula for Pertalite as compensation replacement. This is an irony that I find difficult to understand,” he said. He emphasised that the contract was carried out through a legitimate tender mechanism and provided benefits to the company. According to him, during his tenure, Pertamina Patra Niaga’s industrial solar business recorded its highest performance in 2022. “I only want to convey the truth as I have experienced, felt, and believed it over more than 30 years of service,” he stated. Since his detention in July 2024, his two children have had to live without the full presence of their parents after previously losing their mother in 2021. This situation, according to Alfian, has become the heaviest burden he faces, even surpassing the legal pressures. At the end of his pleidoi, he asked the panel of judges to consider all the facts of the trial objectively and fairly. He also entrusted his hopes to legal justice, especially for the future of his two children. “I entrust my fate and that of my children to the wisdom of the panel of judges,” he said.