28 January 2014, News Wires – Indonesian state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina has allegedly paid off members of the House of Representatives.
According to local media, a case dossier on a high-profile graft defendant revealed Pertamina president director Karen Agustiawan said Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik agreed that SKKMigas would provide $150,000 to “help ease the deliberation of the ministry’s budget at the House”.
The dossier confirmed Pertamina pledged $150,000 on top of the $150,000 provided by SKKMigas.
The Corruption Eradication Commission case dossier was on former Upstream Oil and Gas regulatory special task force chief Rudi Rubiandini.
“The money would be given to House lawmakers who I believed were in the budget committee,” Agustiawan reportedly said.
“The money would be delivered to the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry’s secretary-general, Waryono Karyo.
“Because the deadline for the delivery was 3 pm, Rudi demanded that the money should be in Waryono Karyo’s hands before 1 pm.
“I then said Pertamina would give the money directly to the House, not through Waryono, so Pertamina should not be asked for money again.
“Rudi then said that he would report this to Jero.”
The revelations implicate top officials at the Energy and Mineral Resource Ministry, SKKMigas and House Commission overseeing energy and natural mineral resources.
According to the Jakarta Post, this confirms a “decades-long public suspicion of major graft among the sector’s senior policy-makers”
Agustiawan also revealed Rubiandini repeatedly asked her for more than for other matters, according to the Post.
Agustiawan denied making any payments.
“I want to emphasize that I did not give a single penny to the House’s Commission VII,” she said.
“I will never let my office be used as an automated teller machine.”