Govt Should Stop Acquisition Of Newmont's Stake: Onserver

Jakarta (Antara Bali) - A mining observer has suggested that the government temporarily stop the process of acquisition of PT Newmont Nusa Teggara (NNT)'s divestment stake and sit together with all parties involved to discuss the problem.

"I think all parties involved should sit together to discuss the problem and try to reach a new agreement," Khomaidi, a mining observer, who is also deputy director of the Reforminer Institute, said here on Monday.

The parties involved are the government, NNT, the Government Investment Center (PIP), the finance ministry, the House of Representatives (DPR), and the State Audit Board (BPK) which audited the purchasing process of the divestment shares.

The DPR has said that the purchase of seven percent divestment shares of NNT violated the law because it used funds from the state budget, yet Finance Minister Agus Martowardoyo continued to carry out the acquisition.

Earlier, House of Representatives (DPR)'s Commission XI on financial affairs said it would soon summon Finance Minister Agus Martowardojo over the purchase the divestment shares.

"The finance minister will be summoned as soon as possible to cancel the purchase of NNT's divestment shares," Commission XI Deputy Chairman Harry Azhar Azis said on Sunday.

The State Audit Board (BPK) has issued an opinion that the transaction on the acquisition of seven percent of the divestment shares had used funds from the state budget.

"The BPK said in its opinion on the results of its auditing that there was a violation in the purchase of the shares. So, we will soon summon the minister," he said.

"BPK said an investment by the government using the state money needs a special government regulation. The same is true to state participation funds given to state firms. It also needs a special government regulation," he said.(*)