KPK Summons Energy Minister

Jakarta, July 16 (Antara) - The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has summoned Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Jero Wacik over an alleged corruption case. Wacik was summoned to come to the KPK office on Wednesday to provide the anti-graft commission with information about alleged corruption in a procurement project at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources. "The KPK asks me today to provide the anti-graft commission with information about irregularities that have happened since 2010 at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry," the minister remarked at the KPK office on Wednesday. As part of its investigation into the case, the KPK also summoned Wacik`s wife, Triesnawati, on July 3, 2014, to tender clarification, but at the time she was reluctant to comment on the summon. "My wife had also been questioned by the KPK to provide information about what we know," Wacik stated, adding that his wife and he had nothing to do with projects that were in jeopardy at the ministry. Earlier, on Monday, the KPK also questioned Energy and Mineral Resources Deputy Minister Susilo Siswotomo as a witness for corruption suspect, Artha Meris Simbolon, the director of PT Kaltim Parna Industri (KPI). Artha had been detained by the KPK since June for his alleged involvement in a bribery case involving Rudi Rubiandini, the former head of Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKK Migas). On April 30, Rubiandini was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment for corruption and money laundering. Rudi was also fined Rp200 million or an additional jail term of three months. He was found guilty of accepting a bribe worth US$200 thousand and US$900 from a Singaporean businessman, Widodo Ratanachaithong, and PT Kernel Oil Pte Limited (KOPL) via Simon Gunawan Tandjaya and US$522.5 thousand from Artha Meris Simbolon and KPI.