City official to sue ads company
City official to sue ads company
JAKARTA (JP): Chief of the City Planning Agency Ahmadin Ahmad,
initially accused of receiving compensation from an advertising
firm, vowed on Friday to sue the firm for defamation.
Ahmadin insisted that he had never received any money from the
company in connection with the recommendation he issued for the
firm, PT Cinggar Indo Galba, to erect a giant billboard in a
restricted area on Jl. Sisingamangaraja in South Jakarta.
"I'll file a legal suit against the company because I never
received nor asked for any money from them and they also never
gave any form of compensation to Persija (the Jakarta Soccer
Club) in regard to my recommendation," Ahmadin told reporters
after meeting Governor Sutiyoso.
"I will also ask PT Cinggar Indo Galba to make a public
apology for the statement made by one of its executives who
accused me of having received money they said they'd provided for
Persija," he remarked.
According to Ahmadin, who has been under fire over the issue
shortly after returning from an official visit to South
Africa, he issued the recommendation for the company to place the
billboard at the roadside of Jl. Sisingamangaraja, South Jakarta,
simply because he thought that the place was not restricted since
there was already a giant billboard and two video billboards
erected right across the street.
By law, he added, the recommendation from his office alone
would not be enough for the company to erect a billboard at the
place.
"It still needs a permit issued by the City Revenue Agency,"
Ahmadin said.
That's why city administration officials brought down the
billboard of a well-known toothpaste company on Monday due to the
lack of a permit, he said.
Ahmadin added that the regulation on the placement of
billboards in the area, particularly those around the Senayan
roundabout, remained unclear.
A news report quoted Kemal Adhisurya, president director of
the firm, as saying last week that Ahmadin had received money
from him in return for a recommendation that the company be able
to erect the 10-meter-by-20-meter billboard in the
Sisingamangaraja area.
The money, the amount of which is still unknown, was
reportedly handed over to Ahmadin for Persija. The company paid
the 2000/2001 fee worth Rp 109.5 million (US$11,530) to the City
Revenue Agency.
According to Ahmadin, he planned to meet with Persija
officials first prior to filing the case.
"The sooner the better," he said. (dja)