City clarifies unclear Rp 3b fund

JAKARTA: City spokesman Muhayat on Friday denied irregularities in a Rp 3 billion (US$352,941) fund allocated for the Jakarta Parking Management Agency which had not been approved by the City Council.

"The protest made by City Council Commission B about the Rp 3 billion fund is baseless," Yani Mulyadi said in a statement received by The Jakarta Post.

The controversy came during a hearing between Commission B for economic affairs and the parking agency on Tuesday. A number of councillors in the commission questioned why the agency received Rp 20 billion from the budget this year while the budget agreed to by the commission last year was only Rp 17 billion.

Agency head Yani Mulyadi told the hearing that the additional Rp 3 billion was agreed to by city secretary Ritola Tasmaya.

Muhayat also corrected another controversy about Rp 230 million in additional funds given to the agency which Yani said he had not proposed.

He said the Rp 230 was provided by the Jakarta Finance Bureau to be used for salaries and allowances.-JP