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Lawmaker asked Freeport for shares in power plant project: Minister

 Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said gives a press conference to journalists after a closed meeting with the House of Representatives' Ethics Council at the House complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday

Erika Anindita (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Mon, November 16, 2015

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Lawmaker asked Freeport for shares in power plant project: Minister Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said gives a press conference to journalists after a closed meeting with the House of Representatives' Ethics Council at the House complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday. Sudirman reported a lawmaker who allegedly used the names of President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla to ask for shares from mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia. (Antara/Puspa Perwitasari) (Antara/Puspa Perwitasari)

 Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said gives a press conference to journalists after a closed meeting with the House of Representatives' Ethics Council at the House complex in Senayan, Jakarta, on Monday. Sudirman reported a lawmaker who allegedly used the names of President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla to ask for shares from mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia. (Antara/Puspa Perwitasari)

A lawmaker who allegedly cited the names of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Vice President Muhammad Jusuf Kalla when asking for shares in mining giant PT Freeport Indonesia also asked for shares in a power plant project in Papua, said Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said on Monday.

Sudirman reported the lawmaker to the House of Representatives' ethics council on Monday. He said the lawmaker allegedly promised to help Freeport secure an extension of its contract but asked for shares in the mining company for Jokowi and Kalla in return.

However, Sudirman said it was not the only attempt by the lawmaker at securing illicit personal benefits.

"The lawmaker also asked for shares in a power plant project in Timika. He asked Freeport to be both investor and purchaser of the electricity coming from the project," he told journalists at the House complex after the meeting.

Sudirman said the lawmaker proposed a 51 percent stake for Freeport in the project while the lawmaker getting the remainder.

The power plant project was not included in the government's plan for a 35,000-megawatt increase in power generation, he said.

Sudirman has given the full details of conversation transcripts and the identity of the lawmaker as well as the chronology of meetings conducted by the lawmaker to the ethics council.

The lawmaker, who Sudirman has declined to name, is reported to have met Freeport executives three times accompanied by a local businessman.

"I know about the meetings because I asked the Freeport executives to always report any interaction with stakeholders to maintain a transparent decision-making process," he said.

From the reports, Sudirman discovered that the third meeting took place on June 8 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m in a hotel in the Sudirman Central Business District in South Jakarta. It was at this meeting that the lawmaker proposed helping Freeport to accelerate their new contract and also requested 11 percent and 9 percent shareholdings, respectively, for Jokowi and Kalla.

Jokowi and Kalla are reportedly furious about their names being used by an individual seeking to make perrsonal gains involving Freeport.

The unit of US-based mining company Freeport McMoRan has been operating in Papua since 1967 and its contract is due to expire in 2021, the company is currently negotiating an extension until 2041.

House ethics council deputy chief Junimart Girsang said the council would hold a plenary meeting with its members to decide whether the report should be submitted for questioning and investigation.

"We are still conducting verification and Sudirman has said he welcomes further communication with us and will provide recorded evidence," he said after the meeting. (rin)

 

 

 

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