Supreme Court upholds verdict against Chevron's employee

The Supreme Court has informed PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia (CPI), the subsidiary of American enery giant Chevron Corp, that it has upheld the verdict against one of its employee, sentencing him four years in jail. The employe, Bachtiar Abdul Fatah, was also fined Rp 200 million.

Fatah was sentenced to two years in prion last year by anti-corruption court for his role in bio-remediation project in Chevron?s working area in Riau. Three other employees have been convicted by the court but the Supreme Court has yet to rule on their appeals.

Chevron voiced disappointment over the Court?s ruling.

?We respect the institutions of Indonesia and have supported our employees through the legal process. While we have not had the opportunity to fully evaluate the Supreme Court findings, we are very disappointed with the decision that our CPI employee, Bachtiar Abdul Fatah, is found guilty on the charge and sentenced him with 4 years imprisonment and Rp 200 million fines. Our thoughts are with Bachtiar and his family during this difficult time,? CPI?s President Director Albert Simanjuntak and Chevron Indonesia Managing Director Chuck Taylor said in a joint statement.

?We remain confident that there was no credible evidence of corruption, criminal act or personal gain by Bachtiar or any of our employees involved in the bioremediation project. Chevron has borne all costs for the bioremediation program with no reimbursement to date from the government of Indonesia. There is therefore no state loss associated with this program on which a claim of state loss can be made.

?We believe that Bachtiar is well qualified and experienced, and was doing his job competently and properly to help the company comply with environmental regulations. The bioremediation project was executed using techniques widely accepted as industry best practice and the project was approved and supervised by the government authorities.

?We will support Bachtiar?s efforts to seek a review of the judgment and reconsideration of the decision (Peninjauan Kemballi or ?PK?) and ensure that his human and legal rights as a citizen are honored and protected.

?If there are questions about the operation of the bioremediation project, we respectfully suggest that the government of Indonesia should apply the civil dispute mechanism under the terms of the Production Sharing Contract (PSC). We continue to believe this issue should not be treated as a criminal case.

?CPI and its employees remain committed to our long-standing partnership with the government of Indonesia and to ensuring the integrity and reliability of our operations to deliver safe, efficient and reliable energy in support of national energy goals. We are proud our ongoing commitment to operational excellence and protecting people and the environment,? the statement said.

Editing by Johannes Simbolon