REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) summoned Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Jero Wacik for questioning as a witness over a graft case related to the ministry's amended State Budget (APBN-P) 2013 by Parliaments Commission VII.  

"I have been asked by the KPK to give clarification regarding the gas price fixing procedure. That is the point," Minister Wacik stated upon his arrival at the KPK headquarters on Monday.

The minister claimed that he was not aware of the alleged bribery in the case. Jero Wacik was summoned as a witness in the graft case involving Artha Meris Simbolon (AMS), the director of PT Kaltim Parna Industry (PT KPI), according to Priharsa Nugraha, the KPKs news and information section.

"He is being questioned concerning the case involving AMS," he remarked.

AMS allegedly gave 522.5 thousand USD to Rudi Rubiandini, the former chief of the oil and gas regulator SKK Migas, who was already convicted. Rubiandini was expected to submit PT KPIs gas price formula to the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry.

During the trial of Rudi Rubiandini on February 11, 2014, however, AMS denied that he had given the money. Meanwhile, the KPK had earlier questioned former secretary general of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry (ESDM) Waryono Karno in connection with the case.

For the alleged corruption case in the settlement of the state budget in 2013 for the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry, the KPK had named Chief of Commission VII at the House of Representatives Sutan Bhatoegana (SB) as a suspect.

"Based on the developments of the case, it is believed that there was corruption in connection with the discussion of the revised 2013 budget with SB as the chairman of the DPR Commission VII during the 2009-2012 period, and he is named as the suspect," KPK spokesman Johan Budi recently remarked.

SB is believed to have violated articles in the law on corruption.

According to Johan, the suspect had allegedly received a gift or pledge, which was likely given to make him do or not do something within his capacity to violate several articles in the anti-corruption law, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years imprisonment and a fine of 1 billion USD.

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