Collection of illegal levies 'still rampant'

JAKARTA (JP): The collection of illegal levies and other wrongdoing are still rampant in several city agencies despite the reform era, Deputy Governor for Administrative Affairs Abdul Kahfi said on Wednesday.

Kahfi said about 300 cases linked to illegal levy collection had been reported to a team set up four months ago to fight corruption, collusion and nepotism.

"At least 45 of the 300 cases are verifiable," he said, adding that the offices fingered were from agencies for city land transportation, population, market management and revenue.

"Each month several city officials are reprimanded for alleged wrongdoing. They are either dealt with administrative sanctions or removed because their supervisors are not satisfied with their work," said Kahfi, who is also the chairman of the team.

He said that among the officials removed because of alleged illegal practices was the head of the Jakarta Logistics Agency (Dolog Jaya), Ahmad Zawawi.

Zawawi was declared the main suspect in a rice distribution scandal in the capital last week. Police investigators say they have uncovered evidence that he illegally provided rice delivery orders to unlisted distributors and planned the unlawful export of 1,900 metric tons of rice to Kuching in Sarawak, Malaysia.

He will reportedly be charged with corruption and subversion, which carries a maximum penalty of death.

The team received all of its complaints from the public through PO Box 5000 and PO Box 0008, Jakarta 10900. The governor himself and other officials also supplied some input to the team, he said.

PO Box 5000 was originally set up to be supervised by the vice president's office, while the city administrated PO Box 0008.

The two special post office boxes were set up to gather complaints from residents about public services.

"More or less 230 of the 300 complaints were received from June to August, while the other 70 came in September," Kahfi said.

Governor Sutiyoso established the reform team on June 12 as part of his effort to reform the city administration, allegedly riddled with corruption.

The team focuses on the city's public services, the budget, expenditures and law and organization. The governor created it to address increasing public demands to have clean officials, a transparent bureaucracy and quicker public services. (ivy)