City Hall not involved in scam

JAKARTA (JP): Deputy governor for development affairs Budihardjo Sukmadi insisted on Friday that the city administration never received money for official activities from city-owned Bank DKI, which was stated in several payment documents reportedly issued by the bank's two top officials.

"It's untrue. The administration never received such funds for our meetings," Budihardjo told The Jakarta Post.

He was commenting on the alleged withdrawal of hundreds of million of rupiah by the bank's president Maman Soelasman and director of general affairs Djunaedy Albaghdady.

In some of the payment notices approved by either of the two officials, funds were designated for meetings of the administration as well as those held by the City Council.

Councilor Djafar Badjeber, head of Commission B for economic affairs, asserted that his commission never received any illegal funds from the bank.

"It's nonsense," he said of a slip stating his commission received Rp 10 million on Oct. 29 last year for its meeting with the bank's executives in Cipayung, East Jakarta.

"It's customary for parties here to give the councilors 'incentives' in the form of amplop (envelopes filled with money) after holding meetings with the councilors. Each envelope contains between Rp 200,000 and Rp 300,000," Djafar said.

"But nothing like this, Rp 10 million! Maman and Djunaedy are lying."

According to copies of the payment notices, the commission received up to Rp 16 million from Bank DKI on three different occasions for meetings held with the bank's directors. (ylt)