Pertamina Corruption Case Trial, Prosecutor Reveals Karen Agustiawan Is Pressured By A Figure

Former Pertamina President Director Karen Agustiawan/DOK PHOTO BETWEEN

JAKARTA - The Public Prosecutor (JPU) revealed the pressure on former President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero) Karen Agustiawan to pay attention to the oil fuel tank (BBM) rental project in Merak, Banten.

This was conveyed in a follow-up hearing in the case of alleged corruption in the management of Pertamina crude oil at the Jakarta Corruption Court, Monday, October 27.

Prosecutor Triyana Setia Putra at that time read out the news of Karen's examination (BAP) which said she was under pressure from outside parties.

"In the BAP, you get a lot of pressure. For example, in BAP 13, investigators asked what form of pressure you experienced regarding this case. Then you answered by the brother, that in the marriage of an official that I attended, which I did not name, at around the beginning of 2014 at the Dharmawangsa Hotel, Jalan Brawijaya, Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta, there were two national figures who approached me and conveyed that Merak's tank should be considered," said the prosecutor quoting Karen's statement.

The prosecutor then asked the meaning of the statement. You can explain this form of pressure, is there intervention outside Pertamina to accommodate this Merak tank cooperation?

Answering the prosecutor's question, Karen said that while serving as the leader of the state-owned oil company, many had entrusted their interests. "The problem is whether it is accommodated or not," he said.

"So if for example you say to pay attention. It became a whip for me to press so that I had to really obey the TKO (organization work style)," Karen continued.

Still in the trial, the prosecutor also asked Karen about Irawan Prakoso, someone close to oil entrepreneur Mohammad Riza Chalid. This name is suspected of having contributed to the cooperation between PT Pertamina and PT Oiltanking Merak.

However, Karen admitted that she did not know the name. He also did not get information that Irawan Prakoso was the person who brought the mission to propose the cooperation.

"I never got that information," Karen said.

As previously reported, the Public Prosecutor (JPU) of the Attorney General's Office charged Muhammad Kerry Adrianto Riza and two other defendants for causing state financial losses which were estimated at IDR 285.1 trillion.

In the indictment, the prosecutor detailed a number of actions that were considered detrimental to the state. One of them is related to the cooperation in renting the Merak BBM Terminal between companies affiliated with Kerry, namely PT Jenggala Maritime and PT Orbit Terminal Merak (OTM).

The prosecutor said that the Merak BBM Terminal rental cooperation was carried out with PT Pertamina Patra Niaga even though at that time an additional fuel terminal had not been needed. The value of the loss from this cooperation is estimated at IDR 2.9 trillion.