Judge Admonishes Defendant During Questioning of Ahok in LNG Corruption Case

A judge at the Jakarta Corruption Court (Tipikor) admonished defendant Hari Karyuliarto, former Director of Gas at PT Pertamina, during a witness examination session on Monday 2 March 2026. The admonition came as Hari questioned former Pertamina Chairman Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok) about the identity of the person who reported the liquefied natural gas (LNG) procurement corruption case.

When Hari asked Ahok, “Do you know who reported this to the KPK [Corruption Eradication Commission]?”, Ahok replied, “I don’t know precisely. We asked the directorate to send a report.” The judge immediately halted the exchange and instructed Hari not to pursue identifying the complainant during the proceedings.

The judge stated: “It is not necessary to determine who reported this matter. Whether it’s the KPK or the prosecutor’s office, it doesn’t matter. Ask only questions relevant to your case.”

When Hari subsequently attempted to question whether Ahok had business experience, the judge again intervened, ruling the question irrelevant and instructing Ahok not to answer. The judge remarked: “Don’t fish for information, defendant. Ask questions that are relevant. Where was Pak Ahok born? It’s not necessary. It’s not important.”

The KPK prosecutor has charged two defendants in the LNG procurement corruption case: Hari Karyuliarto, former Director of Gas at PT Pertamina, and Yenni Andayani, former Vice President of Strategic Planning and Business Development at Pertamina’s Gas Directorate. They are accused of causing state losses of USD 113 million (approximately Rp 1.9 trillion).

The charges, brought on 23 December 2025, allege that the defendants enriched themselves and others, including former Pertamina President Director Galaila Karen Kardinah (also known as Karen Agustiawan), who has already been convicted in the case. The prosecutor stated that Karen was enriched by Rp 1.091 billion and USD 104,016, whilst the company Corpus Christi Liquefaction LLC received USD 113.839 million.

According to the prosecutor, Pertamina’s Gas Directorate purchased LNG from the United States because domestic gas stocks were limited. However, Karen issued approval for the LNG procurement without implementing guidelines, relying instead on Pertamina’s standard practice as a state-owned LNG seller.

The prosecutor argued that the LNG purchase lacked proper economic analysis or calculation. Critically, Pertamina had no committed domestic buyer for the LNG before signing the sales and purchase agreement with Corpus Christi Liquefaction LLC, resulting in oversupply.

The prosecutor noted that, according to interim risk assessments, a gas sales agreement should have been secured before the LNG sales and purchase agreement was signed, ensuring that 95 per cent of the LNG could be absorbed using statistical probability, 90 per cent using a conservative approach, or 80 per cent using an aggressive approach, thereby preventing losses to Pertamina.

Between 2019 and 2023, Pertamina sold the surplus imported LNG to overseas buyers at a loss. The total cost of purchasing 18 cargoes of LNG from Corpus Christi Liquefaction was USD 341.410 million, whilst Pertamina sold them for USD 248.784 million, resulting in a loss of USD 92.625 million. Additionally, Pertamina incurred a suspension fee of USD 10.045 million for uncommitted cargoes.

The prosecutor concluded that the defendants’ actions caused state losses of USD 113.839 million at PT Pertamina (Persero).