House asks Pertamina to open off budget funds

The House of Representatives demands the state oil and gas firm Pertamina to open the so-called off budget funds quietly being deposited at the company's foundation and nine subsidiaries.

Legislator Pramono Anung was quoted by the evening Suara Pembaruan daily that Pertamina must open the off budget funds and if possible to be transferred to the state budget to avoid possible abuse.

Pramono was speaking during a meeting between Pertamina and the House commission VIII on oil, mining and energy on Wednesday.

Pertamina finance director Ainun Naim initially said that the off budget funds never existed.

But Pertamina president Baihaki Hakim admitted that the so-called off budget funds existed. He said that Ainun was merely looking through a different "accounting" way.

But Baihaki said that he had no knowledge yet about the size of the off budget funds, which many believe was so huge because of Pertamina's lucrative operation.

There's been concern that if the off budget funds were not opened, it could be abuse by certain people including by political parties running for the 2004 general election. (*)