GOVT ASKED TO INTERFERE IN CHEVRON'S BIOREMEDIATION CASE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 29 (Antara) - A number of parties have expressed concern over PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia's controversial bioremediation case, asking government's interference so that it would not discourage oil and gas investment in the country.          According to the ReforMiner Institute, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono needs to interfere in Chevron's controversial bioremediation case to help straighten it out.          "This case has serious impact on oil and gas investment in the country in the future," Komaidi Notonegoro, the deputy director of ReforMiner, said after attending a discussion on Monday.        The alleged corruption case in the bioremediation project in the working area of PT Chevron Pacific Indonesia (CPI) in Riau province has led the Attorney General's Office to name seven suspects.          The same opinion was also voiced by Hilmi Rahman Ibrahim, the director of Indonesia for Public Trust. He said the government must handle CPI¿s bioremediation case seriously to provide legal certainty for foreign oil and gas investors.          The AGO has named seven suspects in the alleged CPI bioremediation corruption case which it said had caused a loss of US$23 million to the state.  But some parties questioned the AGO proper reasons to name the suspects.