TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Following the controversy surrounding the decision to open the lobster seeds export, Fisheries and Maritime Affairs Minister Edhy Prabowo firmly announced that he is prepared to be audited.

He also said that he is ready to be audited for the export permit recipient selection process after rumors arose suggesting one of his closest people had also been granted the permits. Edhy Prabowo said that he remains an innocent party amidst the issue.

“There is a company that is linked to me, my best friend. I don’t even know when they registered because there is a dedicated team that decides this that consists of every directorate-general. But go ahead if there are suspicions, that is normal. Go ahead and audit the ministry, we are very open to this,” said Edhy Prabowo in a written release on Tuesday.

Moreover, Minister Edhy Prabowo instead encouraged the public to focus on the process of the permitting process instead of highlighting the individual or who had been granted the permit. He said that any corporation is permitted to propose to obtain a lobster seeds exporter license.

“There are two to three names that are being associated with me and being judged. But please see that there are dozens of corporations that obtain the permit. Or is this because of my position as a State Minister that none of my friends are allowed to run a business?,” Edhy Prabowo defended.

“I believe that is not the case, but it’s about fairness. I never give special treatments to my best friends,” he said.

Read also: Regulatory Bodies to Monitor Lobster Seeds Exports

HENDARTYO HANGGI | BISNIS