20 queried over land scam

20 queried over land scam

BOGOR (JP): Bogor prosecutors have questioned 20 witnesses in
connection with the alleged embezzlement of a 24.3-hectare plot
of state land on Jl. Dr Semeru by the head of a Bogor psychiatric
hospital.

A member of staff at the office who asked not to be named said
that the witnesses questioned were members of the hospital reform
team, including Dr. Hidayat, one of the hospital's directors, and
other officers from the Bogor Development Planning Board, the
National Land Agency and Bank Tabungan Negara (BTN).

However, the prosecutor refused to elaborate about the
questioning. "We still cannot reveal the results as we have to
study the 1989/1992 documents and that is not easy," he said.

Early in July about 100 of the hospital's employees joined a
reform team, staging protests over the land swindle.

The team's spokesman, Riswar, said that according to a
Ministry of Health statement in 1990, the land belonging to the
ministry, was given to the hospital's employees.

"In reality, however, the employees only occupy nine of the
24.3 hectares, which have been used to develop the BTN housing
complex and public facilities," he said. (ind/41)