TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Prabowo Subianto said that the government is currently handling the alleged corruption case in the management of crude oil and refinery products of PT Pertamina (Persero) for the period of 2018-2023, which caused state losses of up to Rp193.7 trillion.

"All of that is currently being handled. All of it is being handled. Alright, we will clean it up, we will enforce it. We will defend the people's interests," said Prabowo after inaugurating a gold bank at The Gade Tower, Jakarta, on Wednesday, February 26, 2025.

Prabowo's "efforts" to combat corruption, including the alleged corruption in Pertamina, have received responses from various parties, from former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Menkopolhukam) Mahfud Md to politicians of the House of Representatives (DPR).

Mahfud Md Supports the Measures Taken by AGO

Former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud Md fully supports the steps of the Attorney General's Office in investigating and successfully detaining several high-ranking officials of Pertamina involved in the alleged corruption case.

He conveyed the statement while giving a lecture during a Ramadan study at the Mosque of Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) Yogyakarta on Saturday afternoon, March 1, 2025.

The former vice presidential candidate in the 2024 presidential election received several questions from attendees, mostly UGM students.

One of them was about the alleged corruption case in the management of crude oil and refinery products of Pertamina, which then spread to the uproar of pertamax being mixed with pertalite.

He then stated that he still believes that the corruption case in Pertamina involving several officials and company partners was true, including the issue of mixing and selling blended fuel to consumers.

"I believe that, if pertamax is mixed with pertalite, that is a crime," he said.

Although the allegations of pertamax blending have been denied by Pertamina executives and defended by several officials from the DPR to the Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia, who stated that the process was blending, Mahfud still does not believe it.

"Don't assume that the Attorney General's Office does not understand the meaning of blending and mixing. The Attorney General's Office has smart people," said Mahfud.

Mahfud stated that the Attorney General's Office must have sufficient evidence for the case. "So they can calculate the state losses from the blending practice amounting to Rp193 trillion per year or Rp960 trillion over five years by the oil mafia," he said.

Mahfud mentioned that the oil mafia practice is not new in Indonesia. The crime has been going on since the New Order era or the era of President Soeharto's government.

Vice Chair of the MPR Believes Prabowo Will Eradicate Corruption

Meanwhile, Vice Chair of the MPR Eddy Soeparno supports President Prabowo Subianto's determination to eradicate corruption, including the alleged corruption case in the management of crude oil and refinery products in PT Pertamina Subholding and Contract Work Cooperation Contractor (KKKS) in 2018-2023.

"We fully support President Prabowo's determination to combat corruption, especially since this Pertamina case not only alleged to have harmed the state finances but also the public in general, if it is proven that the community has been buying mixed fuel all this time," said Eddy in a statement received in Jakarta on Sunday, March 2, 2025, as quoted by Antara.

According to Eddy, Prabowo's statement that he will clean up Pertamina is a breath of fresh air in the fight against corruption. He believes that the President will eradicate corruption to its roots.

He said that over the past 15 years, Prabowo has always made the eradication of corruption a priority in every program and vision of his.

"With the President's close attention and very tight supervision of corrupt practices, we are optimistic that all SOEs and other state institutions will strengthen their internal monitoring systems to prevent such disasters in the future," said the politician from the National Mandate Party (PAN).

DPR Will Discuss the Case of Mixed Pertamax with Pertamina

Meanwhile, the DPR's Commission VI will summon PT Pertamina on March 12, 2025. Vice Chair of the DPR's Commission, VI Andre Rosiade, said that they will inquire about the progress of the mixed pertamax case.

The DPR will also inquire about Pertamina's readiness for the 2025 Eid al-Fitr.

The politician from the Gerindra Party explained that his commission would summon Pertamina later. Commission XII, which is responsible for energy and mineral resources, had already held a meeting with Pertamina.

Meanwhile, Commission VI handles trade, supervising business competition, and state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

Andre mentioned that Commission VI also intends to give Pertamina the opportunity to speak. Because the state-owned oil and gas company is suspected of mixing pertamax fuel with pertalite and distributing it to the public. The Attorney General's Office is currently investigating the case.

"Commission XII had already summoned and they (Pertamina) are currently going back and forth to the Attorney General's Office. Let's give them the space to provide answers," Andre said at the parliament building in Central Jakarta on Friday, February 28, 2025.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Nabiila Azzahra, Pribadi Wicaksono, Ade Ridwan Yandwiputra, Jihan Ristiyanti, and Antara contributed to the writing of this article.

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