Ex-Pertamina Chief Karen Agustiawan Accuses KPK and BPK of Orchestrating Corruption Case Against Her

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Karen Agustiawan, the defendant in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) procurement corruption case at PT Pertamina, accused the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) of orchestrating the case against her. She cited the incomplete BPK investigation report (LHP), which was also never given to her or her lawyer, as evidence of her accusation.

"The process of charging me was an engineered criminalization by the Corruption Eradication Commission and the BPK," Karen said as she read her plea at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Monday, June 10.

Karen stated that the BPK does not care about profitable sales of LNG cargoes. "The BPK only calculated sales that resulted in losses," Karen said.

Karen also questioned the results of the BPK and KPK's official trip to the United States on September 22, 2023 for the purpose of examining documents related to the LNG procurement corruption case. She suspected that Pertamina also went on the trip.

"There are suspicions that Pertamina went with them. KPK and BPK official trips are financed by the state budget. As a taxpaying citizen of Indonesia, I have the right to know who went and what the results [of the trip] were," Karen said.

On May 30, prosecutors at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) charged Karen Agustiawan with 11 years in prison for alleged corruption in the 2011-2021 LNG procurement. She was also ordered to pay a criminal fine of Rp1 billion, which can be replaced by an additional 6 months imprisonment.

The prosecution believes that Karen was proven to have violated Article 2 Paragraph (1) in conjunction with Article 18 of the Corruption Eradication Act in conjunction with Article 55 Paragraph (1) 1 of the Criminal Code in conjunction with Article 64 Paragraph (1) of the Criminal Code.

The Prosecutor also imposed an additional penalty in the form of payment of compensation to the State in the amount of Rp1.09 billion and US$104,016.65 (approx. Rp1.6 billion).

In the indictment hearing on February 12, Karen Agustiawan was charged with incurring state losses of US$113.83 million (approximately Rp18.54 billion), based on the BPK's investigation report on the procurement of LNG purchased from Corpus Christi Liquefaction LLC (CCL) by PT Pertamina and related entities.

Karen was also charged with self-enrichment amounting to Rp1.09 billion and US$104,016, an act she allegedly committed together with Yenni Andayani, former Senior Vice President for Gas and Power at PT Pertamina (2013-2014), and Hari Karyulianto, former Director for Gas at PT Pertamina (2012-2014).

Karen Agustiawan, as the then President Director of Pertamina, is alleged to have authorized both of them to sign the LNG Sale and Purchase Agreement Train 1 and Train 2, "Even though not all directors of PT Pertamina had signed the minutes of the directors' meeting, and without first obtaining a written response from PT Pertamina's Board of Commissioners," the prosecutor said.

TEMPO.CO

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