TEMPO.CO, Balikpapan - The East Kalimantan Police exposed illegal levy practices related to subsidized LPG distributions in the interior of Pertamina’s Balikpapan Marketing Unit.

“[LPG] agents allegedly bribed a Pertamina official in Balikpapan,” East Kalimantan Police spokesperson Sr. Comr. Ade Yaya said on Monday, March 13, 2017.

Ade further explained that subsidized LPG agents allegedly paid a sum of money in exchange to guaranteeing their 3-kg LPG canister quotas. Such a practice had reportedly conducted for years in Balikpapan.

Last week, the East Kalimantan Police found LPG distributors lining up to obtain a contract of subsidized LPG quota for the next three months. Police also found allegedly bribe money amounting to Rp104 million (US$7,800) at offices of the domestic LPG manager, sales administration staff and sales administration senior supervisor.

Ade revealed that Police also seized dozens of envelopes containing money from distributors and the recipient names.

“When the distributors were asked what was the money for, they said that it was to secure the LPG quota,” Ade said.

East Kalimantan Police’s Special Criminal Investigation Corps arrested three suspects in relation to the case, M. Irvan, Nur Muclisin, and Harianto Tato. To this date, Police has not detained the suspects as they were willing to cooperate.

Pertamina Kalimantan spokesperson Bagja Mahendra confirmed the operation launched by the East Kalimantan Police. He said that Police showed a search warrant during the operation.

“Police came at around 3:50 p.m. Central Indonesia Time with a warrant to search the Balikpapan Pertamina’s Marketing office,” Bagja said.

SG WIBISONO