Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Indonesia, a civil society coalition who concern on oil and gas issues support Indonesia’ president who command Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resource to conduct a comprehensive investigative audit to PERTAMINA Energy Trading Ltd (Petral). This move is important to open up allegations regarding misconduct in the crude oil import process and lost of national income.

Maryati Abdullah, coordinator of PWYP Indonesia said that they support government efforts to conduct immediate comprehensive audit in the form investigative audit and forensic audit to Petral. These audit will cover vary aspects such as company management, budget management, crude oil import, and asset management. Maryati hopes that result of these audits can be opened up transparently to public and followed up to the law process.

Maryatu argues that this move is important to give assurance to public and regain trust of public to the law enforcement in the oil and gas sector.” Thus, we highly expect that the audits result can expose the real practices that is alleged to be a fertile field for oil and gas mafia, and also tracks where all the money gone, “ said Maryati (17/5).

As published by Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resource last Friday (15/5), three months after PERTAMINA took over Petral’s roles through Integrated Supply Chain (ISC) in the procurement of crude oil, there are $ 22 million saving. Thus, in average, given similar oil price and volume needed, annually it should able to save up to $ 88 million.

Maryati added that expert from both internal and independent should be involved in the auditing team. “We urge government to involve other related agencies such as Anti-Corruption Communication (KPK) and Center for Reporting and Financial Transaction Analysis (PPATK),” urge Maryati.

Maryati explained that through investigative and forensic audit governance of crude oil procurement can be comprehensively improved and prevent any rent-seeking that disadvantage public “Governance of crude oil procurement should be implemented in the most transparent and accountable way, where public can participate to monitor. House of Representative (DPR) should use their monitoring function to oversee this process and access any available information. Thus, capacity of DPR should be strengthen to oversee, especially because DPR also involve in allocating annual subsidy of energy.” said Maryati.

 

Maryati Abdullah

National coordinator