In a split decision, the Jakarta Corruption Court on Thursday sentenced Endah Rumbiyanti, a manager at PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia (CPI), to two years in prison for her role in a controversial graft case centering on a bioremediation program at the US-based company'€™s oil and gas field in Riau province.

Endah, who is the environment manager for Sumatra at CPI, was found guilty of failing to properly observe the program, which was deemed bogus, inflicting state losses. She was also ordered to pay Rp 200 million (US$19,800) in fines.

'€œThe defendant has been found guilty of violating Law No. 20/2001 on corruption,'€ presiding judge Sudharmawati Ningsih said.

The case started in 2003, when CPI initiated the bioremediation project, which is a method in which metabolic microorganisms are used to remove pollutants for environmental conservation, in Riau.

In 2006, CPI appointed PT Sumigita Jaya and PT Green Planet to move contaminated soil to the bioremediation facilities, and it paid $6.9 million to PT Sumigita to carry out the projects. Later on, CPI asked the government to reimburse the payment it had made to PT Sumigita.

However, the prosecutors found out that none of Sumigita'€™s locations were contaminated by oil based on analysis by environmental expert Edison Effendi, who was hired by the prosecutors. Therefore, they claimed the government had apparently reimbursed the cost for nothing.

Endah'€™s sentence was lighter than the four years and Rp 500 million in fines sought by the prosecutors.

Judge Sudharmawatiningsih said the panel highlighted Endah'€™s failure to detect any wrongdoing behind the appointments of the 28 bioremediation locations that later turned out to be uncontaminated.

However, the panel, which consisted of five judges, saw two dissenting opinions by judge Slamet Subagyo and judge Sofialdi. Slamet insisted Endah did nothing wrong as her job as an environment manager had nothing to do with the bioremediation project. '€œThe project was conducted long before the defendant served as an environment manager,'€ he said.

Speaking after the trial, Endah lambasted the verdict, saying that it was peculiar. '€œI'€™m sure I'€™m not guilty. Based on logic, the project ended in August 2011, while I started working as a manager in June 2011,'€ she told reporters. '€œSo I had been working for only two months [before the project ended].'€

Endah said she became entangled in the case only because she was ordered by CPI to explain the case to the Attorney General'€™s Office (AGO). '€œTwo months working at CPI and I was dragged [into the case], becoming a suspect.'€

Besides Slamet, Sofialdi also agreed that Endah should be acquitted of all charges. He said the prosecutors'€™ investigation into the bioremediation locations was muddled with a conflict of interest.

'€œInformation from Edison, which was used as the basis of the prosecutors'€™ indictment, suffered from a conflict of interest,'€ Sofialdi said.

According to him, Edison used to work as a consultant at PT Putra Riau Kemari, which joined the tender for the project only to lose to PT Sumigita and PT Green.

CPI spokesman Dony Indrawan said the company would provide legal assistance to Endang and its other employee, Kukuh Kertasafari, who was sentenced to two years' imprisonment on Wednesday for his role in the same case.

Deputy Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Susilo Siswoutomo said the government had yet to discuss or take any step toward the verdict.

The court is slated to issue a verdict on Chevron employee, Widodo, in the same case today. The AGO is also awaiting the trial of another Chevron worker, Bachtiar Abdul Fatah.

Popular

Indonesia one step from Olympics after beating South Korea

Opposition weakens as rivals pledge support for Prabowo

Golden generation