TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Corruption Crimes Directorate of the Indonesian Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim) on November 5, named Luhur Budi Djatmiko, Pertamina's director general from 2012 to 2014, as a suspect for alleged corruption. Luhur is suspected of corruption in the purchase of land by the state-owned company.

"Located in the Rasuna Epicentrum Kuningan complex in South Jakarta, which is owned by PT. SP and PT.  BSU, covering a size of 4 (four) lots," the directorate's deputy director Sr. Comr. Arief Adiharsa said in an official statement obtained by Tempo on Wednesday, November 6.  

The four lots of land purchases cover 23 plots of land with an area of 48,000 hectares that Pertamina bought in 2013-2014. 

Arief said there were suspicions that unlawful actions had been taken in the land purchase process, namely not complying with the applicable rules and regulations. 

"The series of work processes resulted in a financial loss to the state of Rp348 billion," he said. 

The police are working with the BPK to calculate this loss to the state. 

Arief said the land price was allegedly inflated, causing the company to pay more than it should have. The case has been under investigation since May 2017, and was elevated to the investigation process in January 2018. A total of 84 witnesses have been interviewed so far. 

The land purchase was originally listed in the budget structure of PT Pertamina's 2013 Company Work Plan and Budget. The aim is to purchase land in the Rasuna Epicentrum area, Kuningan, South Jakarta, for the construction of the Pertamina Energy Tower (PET) building as the office of PT Pertamina (Persero) and all its subsidiaries.

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