Panutan lodge complaint against Pertamina

Fuel distributor company PT Panutan Selaras will lodge complaints to the Jakarta Administrative Court against state oil firm Pertamina that did not heed the court's by-law ruling that ordered Pertamina to restore Panutan's rights as fuel distributor.

"Tomorrow (on Friday), I will send the letter (to the court)," Panutan president Anton Poniman said.

He noted that Pertamina as a big state company must respect the law, and therefore, he regretted Pertamina for not restoring Panutan's rights as distributor of Pertamina's fuels.

But Pertamina remains at its decision not to give distribution rights to Panutan until a definite decision from the court, arguing that if it allows Panutan to transport its crude, nine other companies that received the same penalties from Pertamina would demand the same thing.

Pertamina punished Panutan and nine other distributors companies by not allowing them to transport its fuels for various violations. Panutan, according to Pertamina, mixed premix with other substances before it is transported to gas stations.

Anton said that if his company is proven guilty of wrong doings, he said he would accept Pertamina's penalties, but as long as there was no definite court ruling, Pertamina could not act arbitrarily by imposing sanctions against Panutan. (*)