Former Pertamina President Commissioner Basuki Tjahaja Purnama, also known as Ahok, was eventually summoned by the Attorney General’s Office for questioning as a witness in the alleged Mega Corruption case involving Pertamina.
However, Ahok provided little relevant information during the examination, stating that the Attorney General’s Office investigators had more complete data than he did.
Prior to the examination, a widely circulated recording on social media allegedly contained findings from a search conducted at Riza Chalid’s residence.
Based on the search and confessions from nine suspects, information indicated that nearly Rp 1,000 trillion of state funds had been stolen.
Dr. Fahmy Radhi, an energy economics observer from UGM and a former Anti-Oil and Gas Mafia Task Force member, noted that no party has denied or confirmed the information since the recording was circulated.
As in previous instances, this theft was carried out by an organized network involving government elites, security officials, businessmen, and their aides.
“This organized network resembles the oil and gas mafia operated through Petral, a subsidiary of Pertamina based in Singapore. Back then, the Anti-Oil and Gas Mafia Task Force, led by the late Faisal Basri, uncovered state fund theft through a scheme involving bidding and markup blending of imported Premium Fuel (RON 88) conducted by Petral,” he stated at UGM Campus on Friday (Mar. 14).
Dr. Radhi regretted the outcome of the Anti-Oil and Gas Mafia Task Force’s investigation at that time. Due to a lack of investigative authority, the Task Force could only report its findings to the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
In a discussion during the handover of the findings, Dr. Radhi noted that the KPK also admitted to having similar information but was unable to find evidence and faced difficulties in the investigation since Petral was based in Singapore, outside Indonesia’s jurisdiction.
As a result, Dr. Radhi continued, the Anti-Oil and Gas Mafia Task Force ultimately only recommended that the government halt the import of Premium Fuel, which had become the target of theft, and dissolve Petral at the time.
“Petral had indeed become a den for the Oil and Gas Mafia, and at that time, President Joko Widodo agreed and supported Petral’s dissolution,” he explained.
Dr. Radhi stated that since then, the investigation into Petral had been halted, and no one had been named a suspect.
Therefore, he added that President Prabowo should maintain a strong commitment to this issue to ensure that the investigation into the mega corruption case involving Pertamina does not come to a standstill like the Petral case.
“Everyone certainly hopes that President Prabowo is committed and serious about uncovering this and that anyone involved in the organized network will be held legally accountable,” expressed this UGM Vocational College (SV UGM) lecturer.
Author: Agung Nugroho
Post-editor: Afifudin Baliya
Photograph: Merdeka.com