Karen's Lawyer Says Letter To Jokowi Has Been Received By The Palace

Karen Agustiawan. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The open letter sent by the President Director of PT Pertamina (Persero) Karen Agustiawan to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has been received by the Palace. The sending was made by the suspect in the alleged corruption in the procurement of liquid natural gas (LNG) on Monday, September 25.

This assurance was conveyed by Karen's attorney, Luhut M. P. Pangaribuan. Initially he confirmed the open letter circulating on behalf of his client.

"Yes, that's right (a letter was sent to President Jokowi, ed) and has been received through the Secretariat (Secretary of the State)," said Luhut when confirmed by VOI, Sunday, September 30.

Luhut said his client sent a letter to President Jokowi because the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) had named a suspect. This is because PT Pertamina at that time actually made a profit with the procurement.

In addition, the Karen camp said the ongoing process was an order for office. So, he was surprised when he was announced as a suspect by KPK Chairman Firli Bahuri.

"Why is it a corruption case? KA does not accept anything except carrying out its duties as the president director with other directors collectively collegial. So this is also a corporate action," he said.

As previously reported, Karen submitted an open letter to President Jokowi. He admitted that he was disappointed with the law enforcement system in the country and felt he was a victim.

"I wrote this open letter out of concern for the law enforcement system in Indonesia," Karen wrote in the open letter.

"There are rubber articles that are multi-interpretative so that law enforcement is misinterpreted which causes business losses in SOEs to be used as the basis for law enforcement officers (APH) as a criminal act of corruption (tipikor). I am one of the victims," he continued.

In this case, the KPK suspects that the LNG procurement process as an alternative to overcoming gas shortages in the country has not been studied. Karen Agustiawan, who at that time served as President Director of PT Pertamina, also did not report his decision to the board of commissioners.

"GKK alias KA unilaterally immediately decided to enter into an agreement contract with the company CCL (Corpus Christi Liquefaction) of the United States LLC without conducting a thorough study and analysis and not reporting to the Board of Commissioners of PT Pertamina Persero," said KPK Chairman Firli Bahuri at a press conference at the KPK's Red and White Building, Kuningan Persada, South Jakarta, Wednesday, September 19.

Firli revealed that the report should have been made because it would be brought to the General Meeting of Shareholders (GMS). "So that the actions of GKK alias KA did not get approval and approval from the government at that time," he said.

Because of his actions, Karen made the state lose around 140 million US dollars or Rp. 2.1 trillion. The reason is that LNG's cargo purchased from the CCL company of the United States LLC is not absorbed in the domestic market.

As a result, oversupply cargo, PT Pertamina finally made sales in the international market with a loss condition. In fact, this commodity has never entered Indonesia and was used as originally intended.