Chevron denies employees? involvement in corruption case
Saturday, March 17 2012 - 02:51 AM WIB
Chevron Indonesia has denied the involvement of the company?s employees in the corruption case related to the bioremediation project on former exploration areas unveiled by the attorney general?s office (AGO)
The company?s spokesman Yanto Sianipar told Petromindo.com on Saturday that the bioremediation works carried out at the former exploration areas was not a fictitious project as accused by the AGO.
He said that the names of the suspects announced by the AGO were not the officials of Chevron but the staff of the company?s contractors conducting the bioremediation works.
Yanto also said that Chevron and its contractors conducted the bioremediation project including those related to procurement in accordance with the existing regulation.
He also explained that the procurement of goods and services for the bioremediation project was conducted by Chevron. The project was not tendered because their value was lower than the minimum level which required BPMIGAS approval, he added.
The AGO on Friday declared seven suspects in Chevron?s bioremediation project. They comprised Chevron?s five officials in Sumatra Light North (SLN) and Sumatra Light Sought (SLS) projects. They are Endah Rumbiyanti (environmental manager), Widodo (SLN team leader), Kukuh ( SLS team leader), Alexiat Tirtawidjaya (general manager for Chevron SLN operation) and Bachatiar Abdul Fatah (SLS General Manager)
The two other suspects are Herlan and Ricksy Prematuri, executives of PT Green Planet Indonesia which won the tender to carry out the bioremediation project.
The AGO said that Chevron had named PT Green Planet Indonesia and PT Sumigita Jaya as the winner of the project to conduct the bioremediation works on Chevron?s former exploration areas. Chevron then asked for a refund under the cost recovery scheme from BPMIGAS.
?The project was apparently fictitious or never existed. But they asked for cost recovery funds from BPMIGAS, inflicting losses to the state amounting to US$23,36 million,? Adi Toegarisman, the spokesman of the attorney general?s office, said.
Spokesperson of BPMIGAS I Gde Pradnyana told Petromindo.com that he has learned that the suspects mentioned in the statement issued by the AGO are not officials of Chevron but officials of Chevron's contractors instead.
?The procurement process of the works was fully carried out by Chevron because the value of the project did not require approval of BPMIGAS,? Gde said.
?Based on reports submitted by Chevron (to BPMIGAS), the company has undertaken the procurement process in accordance with applicable regulations. Therefore, let us just follow the legal process,? Gde said.
Editing by Roffie Kurniawan