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.