Any Business With Luhut Rumors Behind It

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment (Menkomarves) Luhut Binsar Panjaitan is said to be involved in the PCR test business. Former YLBHI Director Agustinus Edy Kristianto said a number of other ministers were also related to this business.

The mention of Luhut's name in the PCR business started from Agustinus' statement that a number of ministers were related to the PCR test business. Agustinus revealed this through his Facebook account.

Initially, he quoted mass media reports about the PCR laboratory owned by politicians and tycoons. In his upload, Agustinus said that the composition of shareholders of PT Genomik Solidaritas Indonesia (GSI) had an affiliation with Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

The companies are PT Toba Bumi Energi and PT Toba Sejahtera. Agustinus explained that Luhut has a small stake in the two companies, of which Luhut is also known as the founder.

"The minister turned out to be affiliated with PT Genomics Solidaritas Indonesia. The PT business unit is GSI Lab which sells all kinds of COVID-19 tests: Sameday PCR Swab (275 thousand), Antigen Swab (95,000), PCR Mouth (495 thousand) thousand), S-RBD Quantitative Antibody (249 thousand)," wrote Agustinus.

However, Luhut denied the news. Spokesman for Menkomarves Jodi Mahardi said Luhut did get an invitation from several business groups to form the GSI. But Jodi said it was not done for business, let alone making a profit.

According to Jodi, the company was formed to help provide COVID-19 tests. Jodi also explained that the GSI was formed at the beginning of the pandemic when the provision of COVID-19 tests was a big obstacle in Indonesia.

"Regarding GSI, at that time Pak Luhut was invited by friends from the Indika Group, Adaro, Northstar, who had the initiative to help provide COVID-19 tests with a large test capacity. Because this used to be a problem in the early days this pandemic. So in total, if I'm not mistaken, there are nine shareholders there. The Foundation from Indika and Adaro are the majority shareholders in this GSI," said Jodi.

As reported by VOI, Jodi explained that there are nine shareholders in PT GSI. The Indika and Adaro business groups are the majority shareholders in GSI. Luhut has ties to GSI because his company, PT Toba Bara Sejahtera, has a stake in the COVID-19 test company.

Jodi said that the GSI's profits were mostly used to provide free tests to underprivileged communities and health workers. More than 60 thousand tests have been carried out for the benefit of the community, including helping with tests at athletes' homestays.

"Until now, there has been no distribution of profits in the form of dividends or other forms to shareholders," said Jodi.

When contacted by VOI, Jodi regretted the attempt to frame Luhut. Jodi said Luhut's news about the PCR business has the potential to cause those who want to help to think twice.

"Yes, that's how it is when an individual has his heart and mind wanting to bring down other people. People who want to do good are also beaten by all means," said Jodi, Tuesday, November 2.

Jodi also explained that the groups that claimed to be in the PCR business were large groups whose businesses were already well established. They are also a very strong company in the energy sector. That's why Jodi said GSI's goal is not profit for the shareholders.

"As the name implies, GSI is Genomic Solidarity Indonesia, indeed for social entrepreneurship ... Pak Luhut's participation in GSI is part of your efforts to help deal with the pandemic in the early days, apart from the donation of PCR test kits and reagents given to medical faculties in several campuses. Pak Luhut also helped Nusantics, one of the startups in the field of bioscience, to make PCR reagents made by the nation's children which are currently produced by Biofarma."

Jodi also emphasized that PT GSI had never cooperated with BUMN or siphoned off funds from the government. Instead, GSI conducts genomequencing for free to help the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes).

When VOI reconfirmed Jodi's explanation that the news of Luhut's involvement in the PCR business was slander, he said yes. However, Jodi implied that he would not take this matter to court.

"He is in the category of slander. Mr. Luhut is used to being slandered. Let the Almighty take revenge," said Jodi.

In addition to holding various jobs in the realm of government, Luhut is also known as a person who plays a lot of business. In 2013, Luhut owned a 99.98 percent stake in PT Toba Sejahtra.

Citing Bisnis, PT Toba Sejahtra was founded in 2004. Toba Sejahtra is engaged in four main industrial focuses, namely coal and mining, oil and gas, private power generation, and plantation and forestry.

But as time went on, Luhut held less and less shares because he sold them. In 2019, a documentary by Watchdoc, Sexy Killer, said the company had a role in environmental damage due to mining activities.

Even the company's activities leave the remnants of excavation which often takes lives. In addition, a study shows that PT Toba Bara Sejahtera has four subsidiaries and 50 mines. Watchdoc at that time used data from research by the Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam).

More recently, an investigation from various NGOs revealed indications of PT Mind ID's involvement in military operations in Intan Jaya, Papua. The report stated that the military operation involved gold exploration interests, with PT Mind ID as the concession holder.

PT Mind ID is reportedly a company under PT Tobacom Del Mandiri, a subsidiary of PT Toba Bara Sejahtra, a company owned by Luhut. The investigation was described in a video uploaded on YouTube with the title There is a Lord Luhut Behind Intan Jaya's Economic Relations-Military Ops!! General BIN Also Available!! by Haris Azhar.

The video shows a conversation between Haris Azhar, Director of Lokataru as the host; Fatia Maulidyanti, coordinator of Kontras; and Head of WALHI Papua's Advocacy Division Wirya Supriyadi, who joined online.

Citing a VOI article entitled Questions That Must Be Answered in the Luhut-Haris Azhar and Fatia Cases, they discussed an investigation report entitled The Economics and Politics of Military Placement in Papua: The Case of Intan Jaya.

The investigation highlighted the involvement of a number of retired TNI officers who held positions in companies related to PT Mind ID. It is explained that there are four companies in Intan Jaya identified in this report.

The four are PT Freeport Indonesia (IU Mining), PT Madinah Qurrata'Ain (IU Mining), PT Nusapati Satria (IU Mining), and PT Kotabara Miratama (IU Mining).

Not accepting the report, Luhut reported Haris Azhar and Fatia Maulidiyanti to the authorities. Luhut considered the results of the investigation slanderous. Luhut and his lawyer, Juniver Girsang, reported Haris and Fatia on charges of defamation.

Luhut's report was registered with the number STTLP/B/4702/IX/2021/SPKT/POLDA METRO JAYA on 22 September 2021.