TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) arrested Monday former state-owned oil and gas holding company Pertamina’s president director Karen Agustiawan following her questioning related to alleged graft involving Pertamina’s investment in the Baster Manta Gummy (BMG) Block Australia in 2009.
Karen was seen crying as she was rushed to a prison car that would transport her to the Pondok Bambu penitentiary in East Jakarta, where she will be detained for the next 20 days.
“I don’t want to make any statement, because the legal process is still afoot,” she said in Jakarta on Monday, September 24, 2018.
Karen said she had done her best when she was still in office. “So that Pertamina could double its profit since I joined it, that's it from me for now,” she said.
The AGO’s junior attorney for special crimes (Jampidsus) Adi Toegarisman has balked at commenting on the case. “I’ll return to you on that,” he said.
However, as quoted by Bisnis .com, Adi confirmed that Karen would be kept in custody for the next 20 days beginning today until October 13, 2018.
Karen Agustiawan was arrested after being grilled for about five hours at the Round Building at the AGO headquarters. She was suspected of involvement in alleged corruption in 2009, when Pertamina through its subsidiary PT Pertamina Hulu Energy (PHE) acquired 10 percent of ROC Oil Ltd.’s shares to work on the BMG Block.
The graft case is estimated to have cost the nation RpUSD26 million or equal to Rp586 billion.
RYAN DWIKI ANGGRIAWAN
