KPK to summon Kernel Oil boss by force

JAKARTA. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) will force Widodo Ratanachaithong, president director of Singapore-based oil trading company Kernel Oil Pte. Ltd., to testify in a case involving former Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas) chief Rudi Rubiandini.

KPK deputy chairman Bambang Widjojanto said over the weekend the antigraft body would liaise with the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore or the city-state’s Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) to assist in the summoning of Widodo, a Singaporean national.

Bambang said that the KPK would summon Widodo by force as he had obstructed the investigation by twice failing to meet the summons from the investigators.

Bambang said that Widodo could be questioned here or in Singapore.

“If [we cooperate with] the embassy, then we will use its authority, but if we work with the CPIB, then Widodo could be questioned here or there,” he said.

In response to the plan, Kernel’s lawyer Rudy Alfonso said Widodo was innocent and as such, the KPK did not need to question him.

Rudy explained that during a court hearing on Thursday, case defendant Deviardi, Rudi’s golf instructor, testified that the US$700,000 that was initially suspected to a bribe from Kernel Oil was actually from Febri Prasetyadi Soeparta, the former president director of PT Zerotech Nusantara.

He said that Febry worked as an intermediary for PT Panca Amara Utama (PAU), which won a SKKMigas gas tender.

Rudi said Febri was a close aide of Adaro Energy president director Garibaldi “Boy” Thohir. Febri is a consultant at both Adaro and PT PAU.

Widodo claimed that Febri asked him as a favor to wire the money to Rudi.

“Deviardi could not bring the money [to Indonesia] so he asked Widodo for help in the matter,” Rudy told The Jakarta Post. “So the allegation that the bribe money was from Widodo was not true.”

After accepting the money, Widodo then transferred it to Deviardi in Indonesia.

Widodo filed a police report about the money and the Singapore Police seized it.

“The money [from Febri] has been confiscated by the police,” he said. “It is the police’s job to investigate [whether the money was illicit or not],” Rudy went on.

Bambang maintained that even without information from Widodo, the KPK had a strong case against Rudi. The KPK is expected to wrap up its work on Rudi’s dossier by the second week of December.

“Whether there is [information from] Widodo or not, we can still bring [Rudi’s case] to court.” (Hans Nicolas Jong)