Purnomo dismisses rumors on Baihaki?s replacement

Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Purnomo Yusgiantoro on Friday dismissed rumors that state oil and gas firm president director Baihaki Hakim would be replaced in a couple of days.

?Such rumors are groundless,? Purnomo told Petromindo.Com on a sideline of a ceremony in Bandung.

Romors had it that board of directors of Pertamina would be replaced next week. Roes Ariawijaya, currently deputy of minister of state-owned enterprise is widely tipped to replace Baihaki.

Purnomo said the government was now concentrating on a more urgent matter namely the formulation of a government decree on Pertamina to implement the existing oil and gas law, which became effective late last year. The law dismantled Pertamina of its decades long monopoly over the country?s upstream and downstream oil sectors.

Meanwhile, the government decree is to regulate Pertamina as a limited liability company, which will fall under the supervision of the State Ministry of State Enterprises. Presently, it falls under the authority of the Ministry of energy and Mineral Resources.

Purnomo added the government has yet to outline the statutes of Pertamina as a limited liability company and revalue its assets. (godang)