Jakarta. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) announced on Tuesday that it had named two new suspects in the corruption scandal related to the procurement of liquefied natural gas by the state-owned energy company Pertamina from 2011 to 2021. 

Former Pertamina CEO Karen Agustiawan was recently convicted for the scandal and sentenced to 9 years in prison.

KPK spokesman Tessa Mahardhika declined to disclose the identity of the new suspects but he revealed their initials as HK and YA, both are state employees.

"Investigation is ongoing as we continue to summon witnesses," Tessa told reporters at the KPK headquarters in Jakarta.

Karen was detained on September 19, 2023, over accusations that she had unilaterally signed an LNG purchase deal with the American company Corpus Christi Liquefaction (CCL) in 2012. 

According to the KPK, this contract was made "without prior analysis and the consent of Pertamina's board of commissioners."

Even the government, as the main shareholder, was not informed about this transaction, the KPK alleged. Due to an oversupply of LNG in the domestic market and a lack of demand at that time, Pertamina had to sell it in foreign markets at a loss, resulting in a financial loss of $140 million to the state.