Total admits Gapensi's head prospective winner

French oil and gas company Total Indonesie admitted that the company owned by the head of the Balikpapan chapter of the Association of Indonesian Construction Companies (Gapensi) was the prospective winner of the bidding for the construction of the company's office in the East Kalimantan's town, Kaltim Post reported.

Total's communication director for East Kalimantan region Nuarul Fazrie said the bid proposal of PT Meranti Indah, owned by Sappe, is close to the owner's estimate.

He noted however that Total's president H Madeo had not yet decided on the winner of the project when the company decided to cancel the project last year.

Earlier, Nurul said the bidding process was still in the process of "opening envelopes" when the cancellation of the project was announced.

Sappe has planned to sue Total for the cancellation of the project which he said had caused hundreds of millions of rupiah on his company. He demanded Rp 10 billion in compensation for the loss. (*)