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Supreme Court increases ex-Pertamina head's sentence to 13 years
The Supreme Court has slapped Karen Galaila Agustiawan with an additional graft charge and increased her sentence by four years to 13, in relation to overseas LNG purchases between 2001 and 2021 that cost the state over $100 million.
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Karen Galaila Agustiawan (center), former president director of state-owned energy company Pertamina and suspect of a graft case related to liquefied natural gas purchases in 2011-2021, is escorted from the Jakarta headquarters of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) after an interrogation on Sept. 19, 2023. (Antara/Muhammad Adimaja)
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upreme Court justices have increased the prison sentence of Karen Galaila Agustiawan, the former president director of state holding company Pertamina who was convicted for corruption in relation to purchases of liquefied natural gas (LNG) between 2001 and 2021, rejecting appeals filed by Karen and the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).
Presiding Justice Dwiarso Budi Santiarto, along with Justices Sinintha Yuliansih Sibarani and Achmad Setyo Pujiharsoyo, decided to increase Karen’s punishment from nine to 13 years after finding her guilty of violating the additional charge of self-enrichment through abuse of power incurring state losses, under Article 3 of the 2001 Anticorruption Law, Antara reported.
The bench also increased her fine to Rp 650 million (US$39,279) or an additional six months in prison, from the Rp 500 million fine imposed by the Jakarta Corruption Court.
In June 2024, Karen was found guilty of corruption related to LNG purchases from United States firm Corpus Christi Liquefaction, based in Gregory, Texas, and incurring Rp 1.8 trillion in losses to the state, for which the lower court sentenced her to nine years, less than the 11 years KPK prosecutors demanded.
The corruption court also did not grant the prosecutors’ demand for restitution to repay the losses incurred to the state, and instead ordered Corpus Christi Liquefaction to pay back the $113 million it gained through the deal to the Indonesian government.
KPK prosecutors argued that Karen, who headed Pertamina from 2009 to 2014, earned Rp 1 billion and $104,016 in illicit gains from her decision to import LNG through several foreign companies, which also benefited the American company.
Karen allegedly took the decision to prevent a projected national shortage of LNG between 2009 and 2040, the prosecutors said, but she failed to conduct due diligence for the deal and report the procurement to Pertamina’s board of commissioners.
