Explanation of the Article
Ibas dragged into SKKMigas scandal A court hearing in the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Special Task Force (SKKMigas) bribery case revealed that the name of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s son, Edhie “Ibas” Baskoro could have been abused in the scandal. According to a dossier read during the on Thursday, Ibas is believed to be close to Singapore-based oil trader Kernel Oil, especially the company’s president Widodo Ratanachaitong. Widodo was suspected of bribing former chief Rudi Rubiandini in return for a guarantee to allocate some oil blocks. Ibas’ alleged involvement was revealed when judge Djoko Subagyo asked graft defendant Deviardi, a golf trainer who dabbled as a middleman and confidante of Rudi, about his conversation with Widodo. In the dossier, Deviardi said that Widodo claimed to have close ties to people from the State Palace. “He [Widodo] has seven oil companies, all based overseas. He has networks in the State Palace, the House of Representatives and Ca