Pertamina to bust fuel graft

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)