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.