Minister wants SKK Migas? budget to be included in state budget

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Jero Wacik has held talks with Minister of Finance Chatib Basri on the option to include the budget for upstream authority SKK Migas in the state budget.

At present, SKK Migas directly takes a portion of the government?s oil and gas revenue and uses it to cover its operations, including for the payment of staff. The scheme has been opposed by Chairman of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) Hari Purnmo who says any use of the government revenue by the state institutions out of the state budget mechanism is conflict with Treasury Law Chapter 3 Article 5, according to Jero.

?I?ve talked with the minister of finance. It would better if the SKK Migas budget was included in the state budget,? Jero said during a hearing with the House of Representatives (DPR) on Tuesday.

Jero added he had asked SKK Migas interim Chairman J. Wijonarko to further talk with the DPR and the Ministry of Finance on the issue.

Editing by Johannes Simbolon