Pertamina Apologises, Pledges Governance Reforms Amid Corruption Investigation

By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar

JAKARTA, March 3 (Bernama) -- Indonesian state-owned oil and gas company Pertamina has issued a public apology and pledged to enhance governance reforms following a corruption investigation involving its officials.

Chief Executive Officer, Simon Aloysius Mantiri, affirmed the company’s commitment to strengthening corporate governance and ensuring compliance across its operations.

“As part of our response, we have established a crisis centre to review business processes and operational governance,” he said during a press conference in Central Jakarta on Monday. 

The apology follows an ongoing investigation by the Attorney General’s Office into alleged corruption involving Pertamina’s crude oil and refinery product management from 2018 to 2023.

Nine high-ranking executives from Pertamina and associated companies—comprising six Pertamina employees and three individuals from the private sector—were named as suspects in the case last week.

Authorities suspect that the scheme caused state losses of approximately IDR193.7 trillion (about US$12.5 billion) through manipulated oil imports, non-compliant purchases, and inflated shipping contracts.

Meanwhile, Simon stated that the company is fully cooperating with authorities during the ongoing investigation, while also enhancing fuel quality testing at petrol stations nationwide and launching a direct communication channel for citizens to report concerns.

“Pertamina assures the public that energy supplies will remain sufficient during the Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr periods,” he added.

-- BERNAMA