PT Freeport Indonesia director and executive vice president Robert C. Schroeder has temporarily taken charge as president director of the mining giant, following the resignation of Maroef Sjamsoeddin from his position yesterday.

"For a while, Robert Schroeder who currently serves as director and executive vice president will take over Maroef's responsibilities. All officials of the company who previously reported to the president director will report to Robert Schroeder," said Freeport McMoran Copper & Gold Inc. president Richard C Adkerson in an internal memo sent to Freeport Indonesia employees on Jan. 18.

Freeport was in the process of appointing the new president director of its subsidiary company in Indonesia, he added.

However, PT Freeport Indonesia spokesperson Riza Pratama declined to comment. "Just wait," he told thejakartapost.com.

Adkerson also said that Maroef had submitted his resignation on Jan. 18 for personal reasons and the company had accepted the resignation. "Maroef had served as Freeport Indonesia president director for a year, and he was representative of Freeport Indonesia in its relations with the Indonesian government, the authorities, Papua people and our human resources," he stated.

According to a memorandum sent to Freeport Indonesia employees on Jan 18, Maroef explained his resignation was because his employment contract as president director had expired. Although Freeport McMoran offered him an extension on his contract, Maroef declined to remain with the company and tendered his resignation.

Maroef was appointed directly by the former chairman of the board of Freeport McMoran, James Robert Moffett on Jan. 7, 2015, replacing Rozik B. Soetjipto. Before serving as Freeport Indonesia boss, Maroef was State Intelligence Agency (BIN) deputy head from 2011 to 2014.

Lately, Maroef was associated with the scandal involving former House of Representatives speaker Setya Novanto, who was alleged to have sought favors from Freeport Indonesia in return for an extension of its contract of work. Along with Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said, Maroef testified before the House's ethics council in hearings into the case, which ended with Novanto's resignation as House speaker.

Maroef's resignation came as the issue of the continuation of Freeport's operations in Papua remains unresolved. Currently, Freeport has proposed an extension of its contract, which is due to end in 2021, until 2041.

However, according to Law No. 4/ 2014 on minerals and coal mining, the submission of a new contract extension can only be made two years prior to the expiry of the contract, in Freeport's case in 2019. (bbn)(+)

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