Pertamina to bust fuel graft

JAKARTA (JP): State oil and gas company Pertamina has formed a task force to stop the illegal sale of subsidized fuel to vessels traveling abroad, a company official said on Thursday.

Company spokesman Ramli Djaafar said in a statement that under existing regulations, only vessels traveling to domestic destinations were allowed to buy fuel from Pertamina at a subsidized price.

Vessels that travel to destinations outside the country should buy Pertamina's fuel at an international price.

However, many outbound vessels manage to buy fuel from Pertamina at a subsidized price by showing fake documents issued by shipping agencies saying the vessels were heading to domestic destinations.

"This illegal practice has gone on a long time," Ramli said, adding that Pertamina would cooperate with "related" agencies to stop the violations. (jsk)