Latest News

Former CEO of Indonesia's Pertamina jailed over Cheniere LNG contract

A former chief executive of Indonesia's state energy company Pertamina has been sentenced to 9 years in jail for graft in a case related to a longterm contract to obtain melted natural gas from a system of U.S. company Cheniere Energy.

The Central Jakarta Corruption Court on Monday discovered Karen Agustiawan guilty of incorrect procurement from the unit Corpus Christi Liquefaction, a video of the hearing showed. The court also fined her 500 million rupiah ($ 30,544).

Her attorney, Luhut Pangaribuan, informed on Tuesday that she would appeal the decision.

Cheniere follows all relevant laws, domestic and international, and complies with the greatest ethical standards in our contracts and in our daily service, a Cheniere representative said, including that the business's relationship with Pertamina is no different.

Corpus Christi might not right away be grabbed remark. Pertamina stated it appreciated the legal process.

Pertamina's first female CEO, who led the company in between 2009 to 2014, Agustiawan was condemned of improperly signing a long-term sales and purchase contract with Corpus Christi, a. deal that triggered state losses of $113.84 million in between 2011 to. 2014, according to state news company Antara.

Pertamina had actually resold LNG cargoes from Corpus Christi to the. international market at a loss because the market in Indonesia. might not absorb them, regional media reports stated.

Agustiawan had rejected any wrong doing and stated she was. following federal government orders.

Corpus Christi was not a defendant in the event, but the. panel of judges at the court stated it had the responsibility to. pay back the country for the losses, media reported.

In a separate case in 2020, Agustiawan was acquitted by the. Supreme Court when it overturned an eight-year prison sentence. handed by a lower court over her decision for Pertamina to. invest in the Basker Manta Gummy Block in Australia in 2009. The. court had ruled at the time that her organization judgment was not a. criminal activity.

(source: Reuters)