40 contractors arrested for counterfeiting documents

JAKARTA (JP): The City Municipality Office announced yesterday that many contractors are operating with fake identities in the city.

Harun Al Rasyid, the acting chairman of the city's pra- qualification committee, said that 40 fake identities have so far been confiscated through a number of tenders for the construction of projects owned by city-owned companies or city institutions.

Giving no details about the date of the confiscation, Kahfi told The Jakarta Post in a statement that fake identities deal with the provision of a number of services, including contract work, consultation, goods procurement and other services.

"The cases of the 40 fake documents are currently being investigated and processed by the Central Jakarta police," Harun said.

According to Harun, who is also the City Secretary, the 40 fake identities were confiscated by the committee in separate opportunities through legal channels.

"It seems to us that the syndicate running these fake documents is well organized," said Harun, a former major of South Jakarta.

He pointed out that brokers grouped in this syndicate can properly counterfeit the original form for recommended contractors along with the serial number, officers' signatures and the official stamp of the committee.

Harun quoted one of the suspects as saying that the syndicate has forged at least 1,000 forms.

"All of them have been sold," the suspect admitted.

No broker

Harun, therefore, urged private contractors intending to take part in the tenders of the city's projects to apply directly to the committee, whose office is located on the ground floor at Block E of the City Municipality Office on Jl. Merdeka Selatan 8- 9, Central Jakarta.

"Do not ever apply via any broker or third party who might only inflict a loss upon the applicant," he said.

His committee, he said, has learned that the tariff for arranging the completion of the documents through brokers or middlemen was set from Rp 2 million (US$915) to Rp 10 million per contractor.

"The tariff is much lower through the committee than if it is set by the brokers," Harun offered.

Many people have said that the applicants refused to apply through the committee due to the complicated procedures and bureaucracy involved, which only wasted their time and money.

Among distinctive differences on the fake documents is the logo of the state-owned money printing company Perum Peruri, which issues the paper.

"The emblem appears on the fake paper when viewed through ultraviolet rays but it cannot be seen on the original one," Harun explained. (bsr)