KPK Estimates State Losses Due To Petral Case Reaches Millions Of US Dollars

JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) estimates that allegations of corruption in the management of crude oil and refinery products at Pertamina Energy Trading Limited (Petral) or Pertamina Energy Service Pte. Ltd. (PES) has harmed the country in large quantities. The estimate reached millions of US dollars.

"I forgot the details (the amount of state loss, ed)," said KPK Chairman Setyo Budiyanto to reporters in Bogor, West Java, quoted on Wednesday, November 19.

Even so, Setyo said, the state losses in that case were quite large. It even reached millions of US dollars.

"Yes, it must be like that (millions of United States dollars, ed). It's big, big enough," said the former Director of Investigation of the KPK.

As for investigating the alleged corruption of Petral, Setyo said, the anti-corruption commission has coordinated with anti-corruption agencies in other countries such as the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB). This is because the crime is suspected to have occurred across countries.

"Yesterday there were investigators who carried out activities there together with the prosecutor as well, to coordinate, explain about the handling of the case," he said.

"Then we ask to be able to access, provide or obtain the required documents and maybe even witnesses from several countries that we need," continued Setyo.

Previously reported, the KPK revealed that the Attorney General's Office had transferred the case of corruption in the procurement of crude oil by Pertamina Energy Trading Ltd. (Petral) or PT Pertamina Energy Services Pte. Ltd (PES) to his institution.

This process is because the Adhyaksa Corps knows that the anti-corruption commission has issued a new investigation warrant (sprindik) in October. However, no suspects have yet been named.

This new Sprindik is also known to have been published after the KPK investigated allegations of bribery in the procurement of catalysts at PT Pertamina (Persero) and bribes for the procurement of crude oil and finished products for the 2012-2014 period.