City officials close ranks as graft allegations hit home

City officials close ranks as graft allegations hit home

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

The city administration has requested the West Jakarta
Prosecutor's Office to release two of its officials following
their detention by the prosecutors over their alleged involvement
in scams worth Rp 1.4 billion (US$155,555.56).

"The administration, through the Jakarta Parks Agency head
(Sarwo Handhayani), has sent a letter to the prosecutor's office
asking for their release," the assistant to the city secretary
for administration and staffing, Moerdiman, told reporters at
City Hall on Wednesday.

The director of the South Jakarta Parks Office, Harun Al
Rasyid, and Sri Budi Setiati, the director of the West Jakarta
Parks Office, have been detained by the prosecutor's office since
Tuesday.

They are suspected of enriching themselves with funds that
should have been used for the development of parks in West
Jakarta last year.

Harun is alleged to have embezzled the money from January to
July 2003 when he was still serving as West Jakarta Parks Office
director, while Sri allegedly embezzled the money from August to
December 2003.

Moerdiman said that West Jakarta Mayor Fajar A. Panjaitan and
South Jakarta Mayor Dadang Kafrawi would also send letters to
guaranteeing that the officials would not abscond or tamper with
evidence.

"As the legal efforts are continuing, we expect the suspects
to be able to report for work as usual. We have to abide by the
presumption of innocence," he added.

The release request was made in light of the officials'
positions as work unit leaders. The administration fears that
their detention will disrupt their units' day-to-day activities.

Lawyers from the South Jakarta and West Jakarta
administrations having been accompanying the suspects during
questioning.

The arrest of the two officials shocked the city
administration as it had received no warning of an impending
corruption investigation from the prosecutor's office.

"We only heard about the arrests from the media. We didn't get
any prior notice from the prosecutor's office," said City Legal
Affairs Office director Deded Sukandar.

Prosecutor Joko Yuhono said the investigators had yet to
receive the letter. "I've just finished questioning them today."

The Attorney General's Office announced recently that Jakarta
is the third most corrupt provincial administration after East
Java and West Java.