Faster Pertamina corruption trial urged
JAKARTA (JP): The House of Representatives may issue a vote of no confidence against Attorney General Marzuki Darusman unless he can bring to court within three months nine corruption cases at state oil and gas firm Pertamina, including one involving the Balongan oil refinery in West Java.
The House's Commission VIII, which oversees among other things energy and mine affairs, urged Marzuki on Tuesday to finalize investigations into the nine cases.
In their conclusion after a hearing with the Attorney General's Office, legislators gave Marzuki a deadline of three months.
"It is imperative now to issue an ultimatum like this, otherwise there will be no concrete progress," Commission VIII chairman Irwan Prayitno told reporters after the hearing.
Thus far, Irwan said, his commission had heard only reports that lacked real progress. According to him, legislators may force Marzuki to step down.
Pressure came from several Commission members who, toward the end of the hearing, urged Marzuki to set a definite target for completing the investigations.
Deputy attorney general for special crimes Bachtiar Fachri Nasution later told legislators his office might bring the nine cases to court within two to three months.
Asked whether the time target was feasible, Marzuki only said it was possible.
He said his office had stepped up the status of these nine cases from preliminary research to full investigation.
Of the nine cases, four are related to technical assistance contracts (TAC) between Pertamina and oil company PT Ustraindo Petrogas.
Another centers around the construction of fuel pipelines in Java by PT Triharsa Bimanusa Tunggal.
The last four involve the supply of additive raw materials for the Balongan oil refinery in West Java.
The Attorney General's Office suspected that the price cited in the contract to supply additive raw materials or catalysts to the Balongan refinery had been marked up.
Refineries use additive materials to process crude oil into different fuel outputs, like gasoline or diesel oil.
In its report to Commission VIII, the Attorney General's Office did not cite the contract value for the additive materials.
But it named the additive suppliers, PT Mahoni, PT Menara Bumi and PT Bima Artika Citra as possible suspects behind the alleged mark up.
The report makes no mentioning of the American oil and gas firm Chevron, whose additive products are in use by the Balongan refinery.
Pertamina spokesman Ridwan Nyak Baik confirmed that the use of Chevron's additive was being disputed.
But he declined to say whether the company was implicated in the alleged mark-up practices.
According to the report, the office had questioned several executives of the three suppliers, including officials of Pertamina and the Balongan refinery.
The Attorney General's Office also summoned former director generals for oil and gas Suyitno Padmokusumo and Soepraptono Soelaiman in connection with the case. (bkm)