Ahok: Golf Course is the Cheapest and Healthiest Oil Negotiation Place

JAKARTA - The President Commissioner of PT Pertamina (Persero) for the period 2019-2024 Basuki Tjahaja Purnama or Ahok said that golf courses are the cheapest and healthiest oil negotiation venues.

Because, he said, other places, such as nightclubs are expensive places to entertain oil entrepreneurs and are unhealthy.

"I think golf is the healthiest, cheapest place to negotiate. Dry, walk, cheap, and the membership fee is very cheap," said Ahok during a witness examination at the Corruption Court at the Central Jakarta District Court, Tuesday, January 27, reported by ANTARA.

When he entered Pertamina, he realized that oil entrepreneurs from the United States, such as Exxon and Chevron, tended to like playing golf.

For this reason, in order to accompany the businessmen while negotiating, Ahok was forced to learn to play golf until he went to golf school.

"Because for example I negotiate with Exxon, I want to ask for a share of the shares, there is a negotiation on the golf course. Well, that's normal," he said.

Ahok testified at the trial of the alleged corruption case in the management of crude oil and refinery products in the 2018-2023 period, which dragged nine defendants.

The nine defendants include the beneficial owner of PT Navigator Khatulistiwa Muhammad Kerry Adrianto Riza, Vice President of Feedstock Management PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional (KPI) in 2023-2024 Agus Purwono, President Director of PT Pertamina International Shipping in 2022-2024 Yoki Firnandi, Commissioner of PT Pelayaran Mahameru Kencana Abadi (PMKA) Gading Ramadhan Juedo, and Commissioner of PT Jenggala Maritime Nusantara (JMN) Dimas Werhaspati.

There are also other defendants in the same trial, namely the President Director of PT Pertamina Patra Niaga in 2023 Riva Siahaan, the Director of Marketing and Sales of PT Pertamina Patra Niaga in 2023 Maya Kusuma, Vice President Trading of Pertamina Patra Niaga Products Edward Corne period 2023-2025, and Director of Feedstock and Product Optimization of PT Kilang Pertamina Internasional (KPI) period 2022-2025 Sani Dinar Saifudin.

The nine defendants are suspected of having unlawfully enriched themselves, others, or a corporation, to the detriment of the state, amounting to IDR 285.18 trillion.

State losses include state financial losses of 2.73 billion US dollars and 25.44 trillion rupiah; state economic losses of 171.99 trillion rupiah; and illegal profits of 2.62 billion US dollars.

In detail, the state's financial losses consist of US$5.74 billion in the procurement of imported refinery products or fuel and Rp2.54 trillion in the sale of non-subsidized solar during the 2021-2023 period.

Meanwhile, the loss of the state's economy is the cost of the procurement price of fuel which has an impact on the economic burden imposed by the price, while the illegal profit is obtained from the difference between the import procurement price of fuel exceeding the quota and the procurement price of crude oil and fuel from purchases sourced in the country.

For their actions, the nine defendants are suspected of violating Article 2 paragraph (1) or Article 3 in conjunction with Article 18 of Law Number 31 of 1999 concerning the Eradication of Corruption as amended and supplemented by Law Number 20 of 2001 jo. Article 55 paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.