Advertising scams may drag down 30 city officials

Advertising scams may drag down 30 city officials

JAKARTA (JP): Governor Sutiyoso has instructed the City
Inspectorate Agency to investigate 30 city officials allegedly
involved in corruption cases at the just-dissolved Outdoor
Advertising Review Team (TPTPR).

"I have instructed the inspectorate agency to conduct the
investigation. I have personally summoned a number of city
officials concerning the matter, but a decision has yet to be
made.

"We (the city administration) will always follow up on
information or complaints from city residents, but we must
proceed carefully," he told reporters after addressing the
opening ceremony of the Governor's Cup National Wrestling Junior
Championship at Ragunan Sports Stadium in South Jakarta on
Saturday.

"We will take stern action against any officials who are
proven to have been involved in such cases," he said.

Separately, City Inspector Hendarmin Ono Saleh said the
inspectorate agency was still investigating the case.

"We're still investigating the case and have to wait for one
or two weeks for the final result," he said when asked about
reports saying that 30 officials would be sacked.

Earlier on Friday, the assistant to the city secretary on
Administration Affairs, Ma'mun Amin, said the governor would
remove 30 officials from their current positions.

"We will not dismiss them as city administration employees,
but we'll remove them from their current positions," Amin told
reporters.

"Some of them have admitted that they asked for illegal levies
from advertising agencies to help smoothen the issuance of
permits to place their billboard advertisements," he said on the
sidelines of a plenary meeting at the City Council building to
pass the 2000 City Budget.

Unconfirmed reports said the highest official to be affected
by the investigation was the assistant to the City Secretary for
Development Affairs, Ongky Sukasah, who was a former TPTPR
chairman.

Ongky reportedly received a share of the illegal levies. He
once told city councillors that he had used the money to finance
the city administration-sponsored Persija soccer team.

Deputy Governor for Administration Affairs Abdul Kahfi, who is
a member of the soccer team's board of patrons, denied the
allegations. Ongky later rescinded his statement.

Amin said the governor had assigned him to design a new system
for acquiring advertising licenses.

"I have two weeks to design a system which will provide a
simple mechanism for advertising agencies and at the same time
minimize corruption practices," he said.

One of the victims of such "complicated" bureaucracy in
obtaining billboard permits is the manufacturer of So Klin
detergent, whose 80 advertisements at bus stops all over Jakarta
were taken down on Thursday.

The advertising agencies involved, PT. Kartika Karunia and PT.
Prima Jaya, have yet to obtain licenses for the advertisements.

The agencies registered for the billboard advertisements in
October and November last year. They, however, decided to go
ahead with the promotion in January without the required permits.

According to the city's advertising regulations, advertising
agencies can consider their applications approved if there are no
answers, approvals or rejections after 30 days.

Governor Sutiyoso decided to dissolve TPTPR last Tuesday
because of its overly complicated procedures in issuing permits
for outdoor advertisements.

An advertisement agency, for example, has to go to separate
city agencies to get different types of approval.

Such a procedure, Sutiyoso said, opened up the possibility of
corruption.

Outdoor advertisement licenses are now being handled solely by
the City Revenue Agency. (09/nvn)