'Oil tycoon case has no impact on M'sia-Indonesia maritime border talks'

PARLIAMENT | Deputy Foreign Minister Mohamad Alamin today said an ongoing legal process in Indonesia against oil tycoon Riza Chalid, who reportedly has connections in Malaysia, will not impact bilateral discussions on the Sulawesi Sea issue.

Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat, Mohamad also reaffirmed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s statement in Jakarta yesterday that Malaysia will not protect Riza, who has been named a suspect in a major corruption case.

“The prime minister has stated that the issue concerning Riza is a legal matter. And we will not offer any form of protection - no protection for him.

“Let the legal process take its course. This is the prime minister’s commitment,” he said during Question Time.

“As for whether this has any impact on negotiations in the Sulawesi Sea, I don’t think that arises at this point.

“What’s important is maintaining the integrity of Malaysia-Indonesia cooperation,” Mohamad (above) said in response to Wan Ahmad Fayhsal Wan Ahmad Kamal (PN-Machang).

Anwar ‘bombarded’

Wan Fayhsal had claimed that Anwar, during a press conference after meeting senior chief editors, was “bombarded” with questions on Riza, dubbed Indonesia’s “godfather of oil”, and his purported marriage into a Malaysian royal family.

“Does this issue affect any form of cooperation involving the Sulawesi Sea between Malaysia and Indonesia?

“Because I saw a statement from the Indonesian attorney-general raising concerns about the complexity of the extradition process, especially given reports that RC may have married into royalty,” said the Bersatu lawmaker.

Anwar yesterday reaffirmed Malaysia’s diplomatic stance in addressing maritime border issues with Indonesia, including the long-standing dispute in the Sulawesi Sea.

No idea of Riza’s whereabouts

Responding to questions from Indonesian journalists, Anwar indicated that he knew of Riza in passing but did not know the tycoon’s current whereabouts, including whether he is in Malaysia.

The prime minister also said he had been informed by the Indonesian Embassy of an extradition request for Riza.

Riza was said to be the beneficial owner of the companies PT Tangki Merak and PT Orbit Terminal Merak. He was also accused of profiteering from an inflated fuel storage lease agreement.

Seventeen individuals, including current and former executives of the Indonesian government-owned oil company Pertamina, have been arrested in connection with the case, which reportedly caused losses amounting to Rp286 trillion (RM84.8 billion).

Reporting by Alyaa Alhadjri, Qistina Nadia Dzulqarnain, N Faizal Ghazali

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