Businessman claims bribes returned

Businessman claims bribes returned

Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang

Businessman Fachrul Munir claimed on Tuesday that two of the 20
members of Tangerang City Council he bribed last March, in an
attempt to be elected mayor in the recent elections, had returned
the money.

Munir, who failed to qualify for the elections, named the two
as Tarmizi Arin of the United Development Party (PPP) and Saeful
of the coalition faction of the Council.

"They came to my house on Monday and returned some of the
money I gave to each of them. They promised to return the
remainder of the sum soon," he told The Jakarta Post.

The businessman had reported the councilors to the police on
Friday for accepting the bribes. However, many of the councilors
denied taking the money, including 12 councilors of the
Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan).

But, Munir claimed, the PDI Perjuangan councilors had also
contacted him and promised to return the money.

Munir said that the total amount he had given to the
councillors was 2.5 billion (US$294,117). This included
accommodation at a hotel near the Soekarno Hatta International
Airport on Mar. 15, and related expenses, as well as Rp 100
million, which had been given to each of the councillors.

He added that the councilors had told him that they needed
funds to campaign for their parties in the general election and
agreed to sign a statement pledging to support his bid for
Tangerang Mayor for the 2003-2008 term.

The Council elected incumbent secretary to the municipal
administration Wahidin Halim as mayor and Deddy Sjafei, executive
chairman of the Tangerang chapter of the National Mandate Party
(PAN), as deputy mayor last Thursday.