Evidence: A copy of the transcript of a conversation between House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto and businessman Reza Chalid with executives from gold and copper mining firm PT Freeport Indonesia shows the mentioning of Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan during the conversation
span class="caption">Evidence: A copy of the transcript of a conversation between House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto and businessman Reza Chalid with executives from gold and copper mining firm PT Freeport Indonesia shows the mentioning of Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan during the conversation. (Courtesy of Kompas.com)
President Joko 'Jokowi' Widodo has heard an audio recording of a conversation suspected to have been conducted between House of Representatives Speaker Setya Novanto and businessman Reza Chalid with executives from gold and copper mining firm PT Freeport Indonesia, a minister has said.
Apart from the names of Jokowi and Vice President Jusuf Kalla, three other people, including Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, were also mentioned in the recording. The other two names mentioned were 'Ridwan' and 'Darmo.'
Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung asserted that the Presidential Palace had long been aware of information that a political figure may have misused the names of the President and the vice president in order to try and negotiate shares in the mining firm.
Luhut's name in the conversation implicates the minister in wrongdoing, but Pramono could not yet be confirm whether or not Jokowi would take immediate action and summon Luhut to the Palace for an explanation.
'It's the President's authority to decide whether or not he will summon the minister. It's the President who has the policy,' Pramono said, as quoted by kompas.com, on Tuesday.
Pramono said he had heard the audio recording.
In a transcript from the conversation widely distributed among journalists, Jokowi and Kalla are said to receive shares in Freeport amounting to 11 and 9 percent, respectively.
Pramono denied allegations that there had been any kind of request from the President or the vice president in relation to Freeport.
Based on the transcript, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said reported Setya to the House ethics council on Monday.
Separately, Jokowi said on Tuesday that he would leave the settlement of this problem in the hands of the ethics council. (ebf)
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